Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2020 to Question 53999 on Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties, what the value has been of savings to (a) the public purse and (b) businesses from the abolition of the paper vehicle licence in each year since 2014.

Rachel Maclean: In the first full financial year 2015-16 the actual saving to the public purse from the abolition of the paper vehicle licence was £8.9 million. In the financial year 2016-17 the actual saving was £8.5 million. This saving was anticipated to be a recurring annual figure. There was an estimated administrative cost saving of around £7.5m each year for vehicle business activities.

Electric Scooters: Hire Services

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to require the use of the Mobility Data Specification Provider element during the trialling of rental electric scooters.

Rachel Maclean: The Department for Transport is still exploring options for how data is collected and shared during trials of rental e-scooters. Officials are working closely with operators and local authorities to agree an appropriate data model before trials begin. Use of the Mobility Data Specification Provider element is likely to be required for some elements of the data model and the Department is in discussion with operators about the feasibility of this.

Electric Scooters: Hire Services

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the data required by his Department for analysis from rental electric scooter trials is provided by the operators participating in those trials.

Rachel Maclean: Officials in the Department for Transport are working closely with operators to ensure the data we request will be robust, proportionate and feasible to collect. When deciding whether to grant permission to start a trial, a key consideration of the Department will be how trials meet our wider public policy expectations (i.e. data sharing expectations and other public policy benefits expected from the trials). If, once a trial has started, a provider was found not to be meeting those expectations (i.e. not sharing the expected data), the Department could take that into account in deciding whether to revoke permission for the trial. The details of the data to be shared and the process for doing so will be set out in data sharing agreements between the Department and e-scooter providers, and with local authorities where required.

Ferries: Passengers

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there is a (a) legislative, (b) health and safety and (c) regulatory requirement for ferry passengers to alight from their vehicles during travel.

Kelly Tolhurst: For domestically trading passenger ferries, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Merchant Shipping Notice, MSN 1823(M) sets out the requirements for compliance with Statutory Instrument, SI 2010 No. 680 - the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ships) (Safety Code for UK Categorised Waters) Regulations 2010. It only permits the carriage of passengers in their vehicles under certain conditions, where the vehicle decks are open, and the voyage is of less than 30 minutes. This limitation is applied to other to similar vessels trading under equivalent legislation. For larger vessels on international voyages, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974 Chapter II-1 Regulation 23 specifically excludes passengers from enclosed vehicle decks, when the vessel is in navigation.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Employment: Diabetes

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that all employers are obligated to protect people with diabetes in their return to work following the covid-19 lockdown.

Paul Scully: It is critical that employers offer safe workplaces. The Government has published guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guides cover a range of working environments and are available at www.gov.uk/workingsafely. Nothing in this guidance affects employers’ existing responsibilities under employment and equalities legislation. Employers therefore need to bear in mind the particular needs of different groups or individuals, and make sure that the steps they take to address the risk of COVID-19 do not unjustifiably impact on some groups compared with others. The safer workplaces guidance provides information to employers on how best to meet these responsibilities in the context of COVID-19.

Employment: Hydrogen

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase the number of jobs in the UK's hydrogen sector.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government is committed to exploring the development of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier, alongside electricity and other decarbonised gases. Recently, the government published the Energy Innovation Needs Assessment (EINA) for hydrogen and fuel cells which identified that in 2050 up to 15,000 jobs per annum could be created through domestic hydrogen opportunities. In order to support the development of hydrogen, we areinvesting in innovation, with up to £121m supporting a range of projects exploring and developing hydrogen across the value chain;supporting hydrogen deployment through our £100m Low Carbon Hydrogen Fund; anddeveloping sustainable business models to support low carbon hydrogen production at scale.We are considering what more Government can to develop the UK hydrogen sector, including opportunities to protect and expand jobs and skills, as part of activity to develop hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier for the UK.

Renewable Energy: India

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with the Indian government on the (a) launch of One Sun One World One Grid and (b) formation of a Global Green Grid Alliance.

Kwasi Kwarteng: India is an important partner for the UK and we have a long history of engaging with the Government of India on climate change and clean energy. To date, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not discussed Prime Minister Modi's new One Sun One World One Grid initiative or the formation of the Global Green Grids Alliance with the Government of India. However, we welcome the ambition on the initiatives and will continue to look for opportunities to work with India to increase global action on climate change and clean energy in the run-up to COP26. The British High Commission in India and the Department for International Development have had exploratory discussions with the Government of India and want to learn more about both initiatives.

Hydrogen

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to grow the UK's hydrogen economy.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government is committed to exploring the development of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier, alongside electricity and other decarbonised gases. In line with this we are investing up to £121m in hydrogen innovation, supporting the application of new low carbon hydrogen technologies across the value chain. This includes:£23m Hydrogen for the Transport Programme - to increase the uptake of fuel cell electric vehicles and grow the number of publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations;£25m for the Hy4Heat programme - to explore the safety and feasibility of using 100% hydrogen for heat in the home, including product development and core safety assessment;Up to £20m for the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition - to test the potential for switching to hydrogen (and other low carbon fuels) in industrial sectors like cement and glass manufacture; and£33m for the Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply Competition – to support the development of bulk low carbon hydrogen production technologies. Alongside our innovation activity, we are developing our strategic approach to hydrogen and building sustainable policy frameworks to support investment in low carbon hydrogen production. This includes developing a sustainable business model to support low carbon hydrogen production and a new £100m Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund, as announced in August 2019, to stimulate capital investment. We will be engaging with industry on both schemes throughout the year.

Industrial Health and Safety: Coronavirus

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that employees will not treated unfairly for raising concerns about safety in their workplace during the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: This guidance forms part of employers’ normal health and safety practice. Employers should consult with unions and employees when carrying out their risk assessment to make sure their concerns can be taken into account. If an employee continues to have concerns, they can raise them with any union safety representatives, or ultimately with the organisation responsibility for enforcement in their workplace, either the Health and Safety Executive or the local authority. Where the HSE identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant legislation and guidance to control public health risks, they will consider taking a range of enforcement actions. The Government would encourage employers to engage constructively with employees and their representatives and try to find solutions that are agreeable to all.

Businesses: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that covid-19 social distancing measures are being implemented by businesses which hold Government contracts.

Paul Scully: It is critical that all employers offer safe workplaces. The Government has published guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guides cover a range of working environments and are available at www.gov.uk/workingsafely. Our legal framework already requires employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees and this includes risks from COVID-19. This guidance forms part of employers’ normal health and safety practice. Health and safety legislation is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and by local authorities. If the enforcing authority finds that an employer is not taking action to properly manage workplace risk, a range of actions is open to them including specific advice or issuing enforcement notices.

Equality: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on gender equality in the workplace.

Paul Scully: We are actively monitoring the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market, including the impact on men and women. It is too early to draw any firm conclusions. We are analysing the ONS labour market statistics released on the 16th of June, which cover the 3-month period up to the end of April. Analysis of this and other data will provide an indication of early impacts of Covid-19 on the labour market

Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will set a date for mandatory Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting.

Paul Scully: The Government ran a consultation from October 2018 to January 2019 on Ethnicity Pay Reporting and received over 300 detailed responses. The Government has met with businesses and representative organisations to understand the barriers towards reporting and what information could be published to allow for meaningful action to be taken. We have also run voluntary methodology testing with a broad range of businesses to better understand the complexities outlined in the consultation using real payroll data.

Retail Trade: Coronavirus

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support retailers facing financial difficulties as a result of the covid-19 outbreak to uphold their contractual obligations to their manufacturers and suppliers.

Paul Scully: My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced a host of measures to help businesses uphold their contractual obligations to manufacturers and suppliers, with £330 billion worth of government backed and guaranteed loans including: A Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) which enables SMEs with a turnover of up to £45 million access vital financial support. The Chancellor has extended CBILS so that all viable businesses affected by COVID-19, and not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible should they need finance to keep operating during this difficult time. A Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) providing finance to mid-sized and larger UK businesses with a group turnover of more than £45 million. We have increased the maximum amount available through CLBILS to a borrower and its group from £50 million to £200 million. A Bounce Back Loans Scheme which provides loans of up to £50,000 to benefit small businesses with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders. Additionally we have introduced temporary changes to VAT payments due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020 to help businesses manage their cash flow. UK VAT registered business have the option to defer payments without interest or penalties. Businesses must pay the VAT due on or before 31 March 2021. On 4 June, we announced that the Trade Credit Insurance market will receive up to £10 billion of government guarantees. The guarantees will support supply chains and help businesses to trade with confidence, safe in the knowledge that they will be protected if a customer defaults or delays on payment.

Skin Piercing and Tattooing: Coronavirus

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the earliest date on which tattoo and piercing businesses will be permitted to reopen; and whether those businesses will need to put in place additional safeguards to operate safely.

Paul Scully: As stated in the Roadmap for Recovery the Government anticipates that they will be opened as part of Phase 3 in July, should the science confirm that it is safe to do so. This area’s taskforce is producing guidance, which will be released prior to reopening. This guidance will apply to England only, but will be useful to businesses across the UK. People in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should refer to equivalent guidance issued by devolved administrations.

Business: Government Assistance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure the advice of the recovery roundtables on the themes of (a) the future of industry, (b) backing new businesses, (c) increasing opportunity and (d) the UK open for business, is compatible with the UK's role in delivering the Paris Agreement.

Paul Scully: The insight gathered through these roundtables will help identify ways in which government can work together with business and other stakeholders to support a clean and resilient recovery and ensure the UK is at the forefront of new and emerging industries. In order to seize the opportunities of growing low carbon markets around the world, deliver our commitments under the Paris Agreement, and put ourselves on course for our legally binding carbon budgets and net zero target, we need to accelerate the rate of emission reduction and ensure UK businesses are well placed to maximise the growth opportunities of net zero. Many of the actions we need to take to reach our UK climate targets - net zero - can also support our economy to recover from Covid-19.

Allergies: Labelling

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on allergen labelling for (a) toothpaste and (b) other non food items that can contain milk protein.

Paul Scully: The Government has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals on allergen labelling for toothpaste and other non-food items that contain milk protein.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the criteria his Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Nadhim Zahawi: In order to tackle climate change and advance our Global Britain objectives, the Department takes evidence-based spending decisions and maintains high standards of programme delivery that are consistent with the Government’s best practice.

Rolls-Royce: Meetings

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings have taken place between Ministers in his Department and representatives of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc from 1 March 2020 to 12 June 2020; (b) on what dates those meetings took place and (c) what topics were discussed at those meetings.

Nadhim Zahawi: Ministers in the Department hold many meetings with companies, including Rolls-Royce, to discuss a wide range of business issues.Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in our transparency data, which is published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

Construction: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support companies delivering independent training to scaffolders who are not part of the Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is supporting the construction sector to increase investment in skills development, and to equip workers with the skills that they will need for the future. This is a cross-industry drive, which includes companies delivering independent training to scaffolders who are not part of the Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme. This will be achieved through a joint commitment to implement reforms to the Construction Industry Training Board to make it more strategic and industry-led, and to enable the sector to make best use of funding from the Apprenticeship Levy.

Social Distancing: Public Houses and Restaurants

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether pubs and restaurants could be permitted to reduce social distancing measures by introducing temperature checks for customers.

Paul Scully: The Pubs and Restaurants taskforce is considering a range of measures to support the reopening of this sector as soon as it is safe to do so. The taskforce consulted with a cross-section of the sector to develop guidance, with representation from trade bodies to small and medium sized operators, unions, as well as the supply chain. We consulted these stakeholders due to their expertise and real-life knowledge and experience of the challenges faced by the industry during the COVID-19 outbreak. The guidance will be published in due course.

Warehouses: Government Assistance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support is available for the warehouse industry as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: The UK government announced in March 2020 an initial package of support to protect businesses and workers against the economic emergency caused by the Coronavirus outbreak. This included around £300bn in the form of guarantees and loans aimed at eligible businesses from all business sectors (including the distribution and storage sectors) across the UK. The financial support includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes (the CBILS, Bounce Back Loan scheme), the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and funds allocated by Local Authorities – the Small Business Grant Fund and the additional Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund. Eligible businesses from all sectors can apply for support under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which is helping businesses avoid having to lay staff off during the worst of the outbreak. By midnight 14 June, 9.1m jobs had been furloughed, with 1.1m employers furloughing. In total, £20.8bn has been claimed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme up to this point. This system will last until end of October 2020, with government contributions gradually decreasing. Government continues to engage with businesses and their representative organisations to monitor the operation and success of the business support schemes.

Immigrants: Government Assistance

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help people for whom English is not a first language apply for covid-19 related loans and grants.

Paul Scully: The Government is committed to supporting the people who invest in our country by locating their businesses here, particularly in these challenging times. We have provided information on the range of business support available on Gov.UK. For further information people can contact our Business Support Helpline. The Business Support Helpline is a free, multi-channel advice and guidance service, operating across England, which offers a translation and interpretation service for those whom English in not their first language. The helpline can support all businesses, from those starting a business to established traders, including information about accessing Covid-19 related loans and grants.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Arms Trade

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for regional security of the expiration of the UN conventional arms embargo on Iran in October 2020.

James Cleverly: The UK remains committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), a reciprocal deal that lifts sanctions in exchange for tough nuclear limits. Iran has broken the nuclear limits in the JCPoA and we are working to bring Iran back into compliance through the deal's Dispute Resolution Mechanism.UNSCR 2231, which underpins the JCPoA, includes a number of clauses designed to allow sanctions to expire on fixed dates: the UN conventional arms embargo is due to expire in October 2020. The EU arms embargo and UN ballistic missile restrictions will remain in place until 2023. We are consulting partners on the broader implications of the UN arms embargo expiry for Iran as well as the region, and encourage all states to implement national export control best practice.We have repeatedly set out concerns about Iranian destabilising behaviour, including proliferation to non-state actors. UNSCRs 1540, 2216 and 1701, which prohibit the proliferation of weapons to the Houthis and Lebanese Hizballah, will remain in place after the arms embargo expires.

Israel: Palestinians

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts on the Middle East peace process.

James Cleverly: We continue to work closely with international partners advocating a two-state solution and encouraging a return to meaningful negotiations between both parties. The Foreign Secretary discussed the Middle East Peace Process and our opposition to the unilateral annexation of territory during calls with Alternate Israeli Prime Minister Gantz on 20 May, Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 May, Jordanian Foreign Minister Safadi on 28 May and Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi on 2 June.

Michael White

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his US counterpart on the release of Michael White by Iran; what lessons his Department can apply from that case in relation to release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and if he will make a statement.

James Cleverly: The release of Michael White is a matter for the US Government; we should not draw parallels between the different circumstances in each case. The permanent release of all arbitrarily detained dual nationals in Iran and their return to their families in the UK remains our top priority. While the further extension of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's temporary release is a welcome step, we continue to urge the Iranian Government to make it permanent so she can return to her family in the UK. We continue to raise their cases at the most senior levels, and discuss them at every opportunity with our Iranian counterparts. Our Ambassador in Tehran consistently raises all of our dual national detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the criteria his Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.

James Cleverly: To tackle poverty and advance our Global Britain objectives, the Foreign Office takes evidence-based spending decisions and maintains high standards of programme delivery that are consistent with HMG best practice. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will ensure it meets any revised spending targets as a result of changes in UK Gross National Income.Further details on how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office allocates Official Development Assistance funding can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-development-assistance-oda-allocations-aid-policy.

Turkey: Press Freedom

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on the release of detained journalists in that country.

Wendy Morton: We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Turkish authorities at the highest level, particularly around detentions, freedom of expression and association. We continue to urge the authorities to ensure that all detainees are treated in accordance with relevant international human rights standards. We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these important issues, and to urge respect for freedom of the media. We continue to be clear in our expectation that Turkey, like all countries, should live up to its human rights obligations towards all its citizens.

China: Embassies

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Chinese authorities on the need for planning permission for any perimeter fencing at the grounds of the Chinese Consulate buildings in Belfast.

Wendy Morton: The FCO is aware of the ongoing planning dispute between Belfast City Council and the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Belfast and has been liaising with both parties. We will continue to support dialogue between both parties and hope they can reach a satisfactory resolution.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Public Statues

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ensure the retention of the statue of Sir Clive of India in its location between his Department and HM Treasury.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have responsibility for the statue of Sir Robert Clive, which is in the care of the English Heritage Trust.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Art Works and Public Statues

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the criteria his Department plans to use to determine the retention of (a) statues and (b) other works of art depicting the UK’s colonial history that are held in his Department.

Nigel Adams: The Government does not propose to remove statues or memorials on its property. We believe it is always legitimate to examine and debate Britain's history, but removing statues is not the right approach.The FCO building in King Charles Street dates back to 1868. With such a long history there are elements that reflect artwork and individuals from a very different era. We are examining both what those elements are, and how best to address what they represent, while preserving history. This is under active consideration.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Public Statues

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he authorised Sir Simon MacDonald to discuss with his counterparts in other Departments the potential removal of the statue of Sir Clive of India.

Nigel Adams: Sir Simon McDonald did not discuss with his counterparts in other Departments the potential removal of the statue of Sir Robert Clive.

Iran: Detainees

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British/Iranian dual nationals are detained in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

James Cleverly: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Anoosheh Ashoori

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the return of the detained British national, Anoosheh Ashoori, to the UK.

James Cleverly: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iran: Detainees

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking in response to concerns on the welfare of British/Iranian dual nationals illegally detained in Iran.

James Cleverly: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Press Freedom: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what support his Department is providing to (a) the Northern Ireland Executive and (b) journalists in Northern Ireland to ensure that they receive sufficient protection in response to threats made against them in the course of doing their job.

Mr Robin Walker: Journalists play a vital role in our society, as do the public representatives who have defended press freedoms. It is unacceptable that they should find themselves threatened for doing their job. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland made this clear last month when he signed the public statement issued by the National Union of Journalists, calling for the freedom of the press to be respected and protected.Plans for the National Committee and the National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists are currently being developed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, but have been necessarily delayed as the Government turns its attention to supporting newspapers through the current Covid-19 crisis. However, the Committee and the Action Plan remain priorities for the UK Government.Her Majesty’s Government gives the fullest possible support to efforts to tackle the threat from the groups involved in terrorism and paramilitarism in Northern Ireland, supporting the Police Service of Northern Ireland with additional security funding and the Northern Ireland Executive’s programme to tackle paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime.The Police Service of Northern Ireland works tirelessly to prevent crime and harm to individuals, including journalists, protect the vulnerable and detect those who commit crime and bring them before the courts.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish guidance for local authorities on protecting extremely vulnerable people from covid-19; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with dementia are protected from covid-19 at the peak of the outbreak.

Helen Whately: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government issued guidance to local authorities on 24 March and will soon be issuing updated guidance to local authorities on protecting the clinically extremely vulnerable. Public safety throughout this period is the Government’s top priority – this includes keeping safe society’s most vulnerable, including those with dementia.The Chief Medical Officer has led a thorough clinical review process to identify six categories of underlying clinical conditions which place someone at very high risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19. Dementia covers a wide range of needs and varying levels of severity, so it has not been included as an underlying health condition. By advising people to shield, we are advising them to stay at home at all times and avoid all contact with others; this public health advice would not be appropriate for many people with dementia and could lead to a deterioration in their condition.While people with dementia are not automatically added to the list of the clinically extremely vulnerable, general practitioners and hospital clinicians have the discretion to add individual patients to the list based on careful, clinical assessments of each individual’s needs.The Government and civil society are providing additional support to people even where they are not clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19. The Government is providing local authorities with an additional £3.2 billion of un-ringfenced funding to help meet additional service pressures as a result of COVID-19.The Government has also launched a new set of webpages for those who need additional support due to the pandemic across a range of issues, which are regularly updated at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support

Coronavirus: Medical Equipment

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether officials in his Department have held discussions with representatives of Israeli medical technology companies on the (a) use and (b) importation of medical technologies developed in that country to tackle the covid-19 outbreak in the UK.

Jo Churchill: The Department is regularly in discussions with other countries on a wide range of issues of issues relating to COVID-19, including Israel. COVID-19 presents a global challenge which requires a collaborative response. The Department will continue to work with other countries throughout the crisis and beyond.

Blood Cancer: Coronavirus

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with blood cancer have received a letter asking them to shield at home for 12 weeks from (a) NHS England and (b) their local clinical care team; and how many of those people have (i) chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and (ii) Myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Jo Churchill: As of May 2020, 164,427 patients had been identified in the category “people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment” by NHS Digital, and received a letter asking them to shield at home for 12 weeks. The information about how many patients in this category identified locally is not held centrally.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with the World Health Organisation on the recommended criteria for lifting the covid-19 lockdown in the UK.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 May 2020



The Department engages with the World Health Organization (WHO) regularly on a range of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic. We always take relevant WHO guidance into account when developing policies, including for the management of COVID-19.

Public Health: Coronavirus

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contribution his Department has made to television broadcasts on covid-19 advice issued by the UK Government and aired in Scotland.

Jo Churchill: The COVID-19 Communications Hub in the Cabinet Office has been working closely with the four nations on the development and delivery of the campaign. There are regular meetings on a weekly basis between central communications teams and those in the devolved administrations at both a senior and operational level. Before communications are aired in the nations, the devolved administrations have sight and are invited to input changes to ensure COVID-19 messaging is tailored to suit audiences in their respective nations.

Voluntary Work: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the NHS volunteering scheme in respect of the use of volunteers in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



The NHS Volunteers Responder programme is available to complement local action being taken during COVID-19 to support those self-isolating for any reason.To date over 270,000 tasks have been delivered by NHS Volunteer Responders. Of these, help has been requested for the majority on a daily, weekly or fortnightly basis. Approximately 70% of referrals are requests for help with collecting shopping, medication and other essential supplies and delivering these to vulnerable individuals and those self-isolating. The programme is also being used to provide regular ‘check in and chat’ calls to patients who are at risk of loneliness and for patient transport and to support the National Health Service deliver equipment and supplies.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the effect of covid-19 for people (a) from BAME backgrounds and (b) who are obese; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) will take forward work to fill the gaps in our understanding, review existing policies and develop new ones where needed. The Terms of Reference for that work can be found online.Public Health England (PHE) has commissioned research to understand how weight management services have adapted, due to COVID-19, to support people living with obesity. It will explore how these services might need to adapt and flex in response to the recovery strategy, and what measures are required to facilitate this. PHE is also leading on a programme of work to support local areas to improve the environment that people live, work and play in. Through providing information and tools to enable local public health and planning teams to develop and promote healthy weight environments.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether UK citizens who have received a positive covid-19 antibody test result will be subject to the 14 day quarantine rule on returning to the UK.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Requiring international arrivals to the United Kingdom to self-isolate for 14 days is designed to keep the COVID-19 transmission rate down, reduce cases being brought in from abroad and prevent a devastating second wave.Before considering whether antibody testing could ever be used to lessen or exempt specific individuals from self-isolation measures, we first need to improve our understanding of how the immune system responds to COVID-19.COVID-19 is a new disease and the science around ‘immunity’ to the virus remains uncertain. There is no strong evidence yet to suggest that those who have been proven to have had the virus are immune. We do not know, for example, how long an antibody response to the virus lasts nor whether having antibodies means one does not transmit the virus to others.

University College Hospital: Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the proton beam therapy machine at University College Hospital London is planned to be operational.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  for what reason the opening of the proton beam therapy service at University College Hospital London has been delayed.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the estimated cost to the public purse was of purchasing and installing proton beam therapy machines at the two UK treatment centres (a) to date and (b) to the point at which those machines become operational.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of how many patients will receive proton beam therapy at (a) The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and (b) University College London Hospitals in the first year the machines become operational.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



NHS England and University College London Hospital (UCLH) are currently working with contractors to open the Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) centre as soon as possible following the COVID-19 pandemic. It is anticipated that the first patient treatment will be in 2021.Apart from the current impact of COVID-19, the PBT service at UCLH has been delayed historically due to the complexity of the build on a constrained inner London site and, more recently due to water ingress, as reported to the National PBT Programme Board, the Department and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority. These historic issues have been resolved.

Social Distancing: Visual Impairment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance on social distancing is available for blind and partially sighted people.

Helen Whately: The Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, (Justin Tomlinson MP) has confirmed the appointment of a senior lead for accessible information. This will help to make sure that blind and partially sighted people can access the latest Government guidance about COVID-19, including what to do if someone in a household is unwell, what social distancing means and general advice on the Government website. All COVID-19 guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Coronavirus: Visual Impairment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to ensure that blind and partially sighted people can be guided safely during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: We are committed to supporting blind and partially sighted people through every stage of the COVID-19 pandemic and are working across Government to ensure that all disabled people are able to get the support they need. The steps we are taking include:- Provision of guidance and advice, including in relation to guiding;- Ensuring that there are now dedicated shopping hours for disabled people and supermarkets are making reasonable adjustments such as making audio announcements and making staff available to provide support if needed; and- Working across Government on the accessibility of COVID-19 public health information guidance and other reasonable adjustments that may be needed for disabled people during the pandemic, including blind and partially sighted people.

Coronavirus: Dementia

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of ONS data showing that in March and April 2020, 20 per cent of those dying with covid-19 had dementia as a main underlying condition.

Helen Whately: Keeping people safe throughout this period is the Government’s top priority.We are monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on people with dementia. Informed by the Office of National Statistics 15 May publication ‘Deaths involving COVID-19 in England and Wales: deaths occurring in April 2020’, we are working with our partners to understand what additional mitigating actions may be required to ensure the safety of people with dementia. We are working closely with local authorities, the care sector and NHS England to understand the impact of COVID-19 and ensure everyone has access to the right care.We have commissioned research on how to manage or mitigate the psychological, physical and social impact of COVID-19 on people with dementia living in the community and their carers. Work has already started with phased outputs to August 2020.

Pharmacy: Coronavirus

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support pharmacies during the covid-19 pandemic.

Jo Churchill: The Government has reprioritised services within the community pharmacy contractual arrangements to release capacity to deliver support to patients and, since March, made available £350 million in extra advance payments to alleviate cash flow pressures. Additional funding has been provided to cover the costs of Bank Holiday opening, a new medicine delivery service for shielded patients, and to contribute to measures taken by community pharmacy to support social distancing. From June, reimbursement prices of the most commonly prescribed generic medicines were increased by £15 million per month. More generally, an unprecedented financial package is supporting all businesses, including community pharmacies, such as tax deferrals and cash grants of up to £25,000 for small businesses.We continue to work with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to assess what further support community pharmacy may require to continue to supply medicines and to help their communities stay well.

NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme 2020

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the qualifying criteria will be for NHS staff to receive death in service benefit.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details the eligibility guidelines for the new death in service benefit for NHS staff.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



The Government launched the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance scheme on 20 May 2020. The scheme is non-contributory and pays a £60,000 lump sum where frontline National Health Service and social staff who had been recently working where personal care is provided to individuals who have contracted COVID-19 die as a result of the virus.NHS staff are eligible, providing that they meet the scheme eligibility criteria; that they were exposed to a high risk of contracting COVID-19, in circumstances where they could not reasonably avoid that risk because of the nature and location of their work. Further detail on the scheme, including more information on the eligibility criteria and the full scheme rules, has been published on the NHS Business Services Authority’s website.Staff who are members of the NHS Pension Scheme may also qualify for additional benefits through their pension.

NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme 2020

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what date the first payments will be made from the new death in service benefit.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



The Government launched the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme on 20 May 2020 and applications could be made from that date. The scheme is non-contributory and pays a £60,000 lump sum where frontline National Health Service and social staff who had been recently working where personal care is provided to individuals who have contracted COVID-19 die as a result of the virus.The scheme is time-limited and will remain open whilst Section 45 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 remains in effect. Deaths which occurred before the announcement of the scheme will also be considered.Where a death falls within the scheme, payment will be made within 30 days of the claimant providing a certified claim for and supporting documentation to the scheme administrator.

Coronavirus: Screening

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to make available a finger-prick type version of the covid-19 antibody test for use at home by the general public.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The science of immunity remains uncertain. A positive test result for antibodies, does not mean that the person being tested is immune to COVID-19.Therefore, the value of antibody tests is currently limited to answering the question of whether someone has had the virus or not, which is why we have started the national roll-out in the National Health Service and care sector where there is a clear need to know who has had the virus. Since the end of May, lab-based antibody tests have been provided to NHS and care staff, as well as hospital patients and care residents in England as appropriate. General practitioners are also able to request an antibody test for use in their routine management of patients, including for any patient who is already having blood taken as part of other tests.

Coronavirus: Screening

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to make a covid-19 antibody test available to the general public.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The science of immunity remains uncertain. A positive test result for antibodies, does not mean that the person being tested is immune to COVID-19.Therefore, the value of antibody tests is currently limited to answering the question of whether someone has had the virus or not, which is why we have started the national roll-out in the National Health Service and care sector where there is a clear need to know who has had the virus. Since the end of May, lab-based antibody tests have been provided to NHS and care staff, as well as hospital patients and care residents in England as appropriate. General practitioners are also able to request an antibody test for use in their routine management of patients, including for any patient who is already having blood taken as part of other tests.

Coronavirus: Screening

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how long it will take on average for an individual to receive back the results of their covid-19 antibody test.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government is backing efforts to develop a home-use antibody test. These tests are designed to detect if people have had the virus and developed antibodies and could potentially be done at home with a finger prick and deliver results in as little as 25 minutes.Lab-based antibody tests are currently available to National Health Service and care staff, as well as hospital patients and care residents. The time it takes to receive a result in hospitals and care homes will depend on a number of factors and will therefore vary from patient to patient.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with local authority leaders on the provision of covid-19 testing, tracking and tracing in local authority areas.

Ms Nadine Dorries: I lead the Test and Trace engagement with local authorities, alongside Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds Council.This is alongside other local engagement in Testing from Sarah-Jane Marsh, who was appointed to head up Testing at the same time as Tom Riordan was appointed to drive the joint work between the Government and local authorities on 11 May.Ministers and officials have regular discussions with local authority leaders on the NHS Test and Trace service and attend a Local Outbreak Planning National Advisory Board, chaired by the Chairman of the Local Government Association.

Social Distancing: Visual Impairment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the needs of blind and partially sighted people are included in guidance on social distancing as part of measures to ease the lockdown during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: The Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, (Justin Tomlinson MP) has confirmed the appointment of a senior lead for accessible information. This will help to make sure that blind and partially sighted people can access the latest Government guidance about COVID-19, including what to do if someone in your household is unwell, what social distancing means and general advice on the Government website. All United Kingdom Government advice can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Coronavirus: Screening

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to carry out covid-19 antibody testing of residents residing in particular regions to ascertain whether those regions could be brought out of lockdown earlier than other regions.

Ms Nadine Dorries: In order to better understand the role that an antibody test could play in enabling as many individuals as possible to safely return to their normal lives, we first need to improve our understanding of how the immune system responds to COVID-19.COVID-19 is a new disease and the science around immunity to the virus remains uncertain. We do not know, for example, how long an antibody response to the virus lasts nor whether having antibodies means one does not transmit the virus to others.These are the critical questions we first need to address before considering how/whether antibody testing could be used to ease social distancing measures.

Coronavirus: Clinical Trials

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made with trials of existing  licensed drugs as potential treatments for covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom is trialling a number of drugs which are licensed for other reasons as potential treatments for COVID-19, including through the RECOVERY trial, which has recruited over 11,200 patients and is the world’s largest randomised controlled trial researching potential treatments for COVID-19. Results from the trials will be available in due course.

Coronavirus: Screening

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 antibody tests the Government plans to carry out per day.

Ms Nadine Dorries: At present we have capacity to conduct 40,000 antibody tests per day. The tests will be available for clinicians to use in their routine management of National Health Service patients as appropriate.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what tests the test-and-trace system has undergone to ensure it is up to the standard necessary for a public launch; what level of training has been provided to contact tracers; and what oversight there is of the training of contact tracers.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



The Government launched its new NHS Test and Trace service on 28 May 2020. This includes enhanced contact tracing which brings together testing, contact tracing and outbreak management into an end-to-end service.The platform used for contract tracing was subject to assurance through the NHS Test and Trace programme’s Design Authority and Technical Authority. This included review by the National Cyber Security Centre and independent IT health check assurance. We have an established system of online contact tracing – and local public experts who use contact tracing as part of local management of outbreaks – which we have supplemented with 25,000 dedicated contact tracing staff.Contact tracers have received one day of initial training and then had further training in the week leading up to the launch on 28 May. Training materials have been provided by Public Health England (PHE) and are regularly updated based on discussions between the employers and PHE.

Pharmacy: Government Assistance

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to reimburse local pharmacies for the additional costs of remaining open during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: We continue to work with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to assess what further funding community pharmacy may require to continue to supply medicines and to help their communities stay well. The Government has already put in place an unprecedented financial package, providing support to all businesses, including community pharmacies, such as tax deferrals and cash grants of up to £25,000 for small businesses. Additionally, since March we have made available £350 million in extra advance payments to alleviate cash flow pressures. There was also an increase of £15 million per month to reimbursement prices of the most commonly prescribed generic medicines from June. Additional funding has been provided to cover the costs of Bank Holiday opening and the new medicine delivery service for shielded patients as well as contributing to adjustments made in the community pharmacy to support social distancing.

Prescriptions

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to pharmacies of people not collecting their prescriptions in the last three months.

Jo Churchill: The Department has made no such estimate. However, for people who have been advised to shield, there is the NHS Medicine Delivery Service to ensure they do not need to collect their prescriptions. Pharmacy contractors are remunerated for ensuring the shielded population get their medicines delivered. Where pharmacies make the delivery themselves, they receive payment. Vulnerable people, not those advised to shield, can make use of National Health Service volunteers to get their medicines delivered.We recognise the financial pressures community pharmacies have been facing due to COVID-19 and, since March, have made available £350 million in extra advance payments to alleviate cash flow pressures.

Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many biomedical scientists employed by (a) the NHS and (b) private public partnerships have been furloughed.

Helen Whately: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Autism and Learning Disability: Coronavirus

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to support the needs of (a) autistic people and (b) people with learning difficulties during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: On 15 April, we set out our comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including ramping up testing, overhauling the way personal protective equipment is being delivered to care homes and helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe.NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a range of guidance to support management of people with autism and learning disabilities during the COVID-19 outbreak which has been updated throughout the pandemic at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/letter-responding-to-covid-19-mental-health-learning-disabilities-and-autism/On 8 April, the Chancellor announced £750 million to support the charity sector in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 22 May a further announcement was made which detailed the health and social care charities that would be in receipt of a further £22 million of that funding, which includes funding for learning disability and autism charities. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/22-million-awarded-to-life-saving-health-charities-during-virus-outbreak

Social Distancing

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the two metre social distancing rule with a one metre rule during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has held with Public Health England on reducing the two metre social distancing rule to one metre in line with World Health Organisation guidance.

Helen Whately: The Government maintains that, wherever possible, two metre social distancing should continue to be adhered to. The Government collaborates closely with Public Health England to ensure guidance on two metre social distancing is kept up to date as the regulations change in light of latest medical and scientific evidence.In easing the lockdown, the Government accepts that maintaining two metre social distancing may be difficult in certain circumstances and will be issuing updated workplace guidance to address that and, subject to legislation, is mandating the use of face coverings on public transport from 15 June.

Learning Disability: Coronavirus

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with learning disabilities living (a) independently, (b) with family and (c) in care homes receive equal access to testing and treatment for covid-19; and whether he plans to allocate resources to enable the safe return to community (i) activities and (ii) services to support the (A) physical and (B) mental well-being of those people.

Helen Whately: From 7 June 2020 all remaining adult care homes will be able to access whole care home testing for all residents and asymptomatic staff through the digital portal at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-care-homeWe expect that access to services that support people with learning disabilities should be restored as soon as is appropriate, in line with social distancing guidelines, and as regulations and guidance permit. Work is underway to plan for an expected increase in demand for patients needing mental health support due to COVID-19. Existing mental health services are open and available for any person requiring support.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether SAGE plans to consult people with experience in (a) disability, (b) psychology and (c) psychiatry when discussing the easing of the covid-19 lockdown.

Helen Whately: We know that some groups are particularly at risk during this difficult period. We are committed to working closely with partners from across the health and care sector, including the mental health and social care workforce.In the case of COVID-19, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has been providing ministers and officials with expert advice based on the latest scientific evidence. The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), who feed into SAGE, is comprised of many leading experts in the field of psychology. The composition of experts in SAGE changes to address the crisis facing the country, to reflect the expertise needed at that time. SAGE is open to input from experts outside the core group to address gaps outside their expertise when needed.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the NHS clinical contact caseworkers that have been employed have completed the required e-learning course.

Ms Nadine Dorries: 100% of clinical contact tracers making calls have completed the required training modules. A contact tracer is not assigned to take calls unless they have completed the necessary training.

Coronavirus: Screening

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to assess companies for participation in the national covid-19 antibody testing programme.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Securing the most appropriate antibody assays for our testing programme is vitally important. We have been clear that any antibody test being deployed needs to meet the target product profile published by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).Target Product Profiles describe the minimum and desirable levels of clinical performance and related characteristics and are regularly refreshed to reflect the emerging science and clinical evidence regarding serology testing. In addition, we will take into account the ability of the company to meet our needs for rapid deployment and scalability across the United Kingdom, along with their willingness to work with the Government to ensure we deliver value for money to the UK taxpayer.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether covid-19 lockdown guidance permits families who are shielding as a result of a serious underlying health condition to leave their homes for a brief period of exercise once a day.

Jo Churchill: We have updated our guidance for people who are shielding taking into account that COVID-19 disease levels have decreased over the last few weeks. On 1 June 2020 the shielding guidance was updated to advise that those shielding may wish to consider spending time outdoors once a day. This can be with members of their own household (which could be their family) or, for those shielding alone, with one person from another household.For those who do choose to go outside, particular care should be taken to minimise contact with others outside their household and they should follow social distancing guidelines. Updated guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19#clinically-extremely-vulnerable-groups

Patients: Video Conferencing

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of the provision of video telephoning facilities for patients in hospital that cannot have visitors during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Ensuring patients can contact their family and friends during their stay in hospital is critical to their wellbeing and morale at all times. National Health Service providers are locally responsible for providing this, though its provision will depend on the clinical treatment being received and the facilities being utilised. In many cases this will involve utilisation of the patient’s own technology such as a smartphone, but consideration needs to be given by NHS trusts to alternative methods to ensure patients have the services they need.

Public Lavatories: Coronavirus

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on public health of the lack of access to public toilets during the covid-19 lockdown.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



Public Health England has made no assessment of the effect on public health of the lack of access to public toilets during the COVID-19 lockdown.Local authorities are responsible for maintaining public toilet facilities.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what means local authorities were informed of the launch date of the NHS test and trace service.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



The upcoming launch of the Test and Trace Service was announced to local authorities on Friday 22 May as a briefing note, press release and slide pack announcing the service and £300 million to develop local outbreak control plans which tailor the authorities’ response to the virus at the local level.

Chronic Illnesses: Medical Treatments

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place to ensure lessons learned during the covid-19 pandemic including the use of proven apps and digital solutions, are embedded into relevant patient pathways for long term conditions.

Jo Churchill: During the pandemic, digital and remote general practitioner consultations and outpatient appointments have become usual across England. Providers have been rolling out remote consultations using video, telephone, email and text message services as a priority. David Probert, chief executive of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has been leading a taskforce to support acute providers to rapidly create these capabilities, with NHSX leading on primary care. As the National Health Service moves to return to business as usual activity, services across the country will look to maintain and build on new ways of working that have demonstrated their effectiveness during the pandemic.

Antibiotics

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the levels of precautionary antibiotic prescribed in primary care during the covid1-19 outbreak; and what steps he is taking to manage the effect of those prescriptions on antimicrobial resistance.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England’s (PHE’s) English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) is working with the National Health Service and across sectors, to develop and maintain surveillance systems for monitoring trends in antimicrobial use and resistance in England. Data can be viewed on the antimicrobial resistance Fingertips webpage at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/amr-local-indicatorsPHE will track the impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance and utilisation using these established surveillance data systems.PHE has worked closely with the Royal College of General Practitioners to develop the Treat Antibiotics Responsibly Guidance Education Tools to encourage appropriate antibiotic use. E-learning modules have been developed which cover the management of COVID-19 and the importance of using antibiotics in line with prescribing guidance. The education tools can be viewed at the following link:https://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/resources/toolkits/amr/target-antibiotics-toolkit.aspxPHE is continuously monitoring antimicrobial resistance trends for key organisms isolated from respiratory and blood specimens reported via national laboratory surveillance and will alert stakeholders of changes relevant to clinical therapy decisions and policy recommendations.

Health: Charities

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of covid-19 on research-based health charities.

Helen Whately: Medical research charities are an integral part of the United Kingdom’s world-leading life sciences sector. The Department is closely liaising with the Association of Medical Research Charities, as well as individual charities, to understand the impact of the pandemic on this sector and identify how best the Government and charities can work together to ensure that patients continue benefiting from charity-funded research.

Gender: Health Services

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he made of whether there has been a recent increase in referrals of girls to the Tavistock gender clinic; and what assessment his Department has made of whether there is a connection between (a) mental health problems and (b) autism and such referrals.

Jo Churchill: Since 2005, The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust reported that the number of girls (sex assigned at birth) referred to the services has been consistently greater than the number of boys (sex assigned at birth) referred.In 2019, the National Institute for Health Research awarded Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust £1.3 million to fund a Longitudinal Outcomes of Gender Identity in Children (LOGIC) study looking into providing a better understanding of the development of gender identity in children and young people in the United Kingdom.

Exercise: Coronavirus

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on musculoskeletal health of the Government guidance (a) issued on 23 March 2020 that permitted people to take one form of exercise a day and (b) updated on 11 May 2020 that permits people to exercise outside as often as they wish.

Jo Churchill: It is too early to make any assessment of the effect on musculoskeletal health and the Government guidance on outdoor exercises. The Government wants people to remain fit and active at all times. The Chief Medical Officer is clear that being physically active is very important to long-term health and crucial for keeping people healthy during the ongoing pandemic. Evidence suggests that regular physical activity can promote good physical health and help manage stress and anxiety.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Primary Care Medical Director for NHS England was not told in advance of the announcement on 30 May 2020 of the new guidance issued by the Government for people shielding and classed as extremely clinically vulnerable to covid-19; when NHS England were informed directly of the new guidance; what consultation was undertaken with key stakeholders representing GPs and charities prior to making the decision set out in the changed guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he had with clinical experts before changing the guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable people who are shielding from the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: It is factually untrue to suggest that NHS England were not aware of the shielding guidance being updated. We have engaged extensively with partners and the healthcare system, including NHS England and NHS Digital, throughout this process and will continue to do so.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS test and trace service will make use of existing frameworks for contact tracing (a) tuberculosis, (b) meningitis and (c) other communicable diseases.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Our COVID-19 response has been built taking into consideration our experience of contact tracing for other infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and meningitis, but tailored to the specific needs of the epidemic.

Pharmacy: Coronavirus

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to pharmacies of people failing to collect prescriptions in each of the last three months; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Department has made no such estimate. However, for people, who have been advised to shield, there is the NHS Medicine Delivery Service to ensure they do not need to collect their prescriptions. Pharmacy contractors are remunerated for ensuring the shielded population get their medicines delivered. Where pharmacies make the delivery themselves, they receive payment. Vulnerable people, not those advised to shield, can make use of National Health Service volunteers to get their medicines delivered.We recognise the financial pressures community pharmacies have been facing due to COVID-19 and, since March, have made available £350 million in extra advance payments to alleviate cash flow pressures.

Eating Disorders: Health Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve early (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment for people with eating disorders.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government is committed to ensuring everyone with an eating disorder has access to timely treatment based on clinical need. We set up the first waiting times to improve access to eating disorders services for children and young people - so that by 2020/21 95% of children with an eating disorder will receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and within four weeks for routine cases and latest figures indicate that the National Health Service is on track to meet that standard.For adults, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to “test four-week waiting times for adult and older adult community mental health teams, with selected local areas”. Last autumn, we announced that 12 areas in England would receive over £70 million of transformation funding in 2019/20 and 2020/21 to test new integrated models of primary and community mental health care for adults. Eight of these sites plan to implement innovative service models that will improve access and quality for adults and older adults with eating disorders in line with new national guidance on adult eating disorder care

Coronavirus: Social Distancing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue detailed guidance on physical distancing to non-cohabiting couples.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



During March 2020 the Government introduced a series of social distancing measures based on scientific advice. These are strict measures, but they are measures that we must take in order to protect the National Health Service and save lives.On 1 June the Government made some changes to these measures that were a cautious next step in bringing families and friends, including non-cohabiting couples, back together whilst limiting the transmission risk. The latest guidance on social distancing rules can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-doThe Government will continue to review the measures, assessing them to ensure that they continue to be necessary and proportionate based on available scientific evidence.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the scientific evidence on the lifting of lockdown restrictions due to the covid-19 outbreak for people who are shielding.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



The scientific evidence supporting the United Kingdom Government response to COVID-19 gets published online on GOV.UK and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-covid-19-scientific-evidence-supporting-the-uk-government-responseAs our understanding of the virus increases, the Government continues to review the emerging evidence. We will continue to listen to our medical advisers on the level of clinical risk the virus presents to different groups of people at different points in time.At each review point for the social distancing measures, we will also review the risks for the clinically extremely vulnerable and assess whether the shielding period needs to be extended or whether it is possible for the shielding guidance to be eased further. We will base our assessment on clinical advice from our medical experts, and the best data available about the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the Government's strategy to reduce the R rate in the event that (a) hospital admissions for covid-19 and (b) new confirmed covid-19 cases indicate that the R rate is above one and rising in (i) each region and (ii) all regions; how that strategy will be disseminated in the event of significant regional difference; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Transparency, including on the evidence informing the views of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), is vital in helping to maintain the public’s trust and grow our collective understanding of the disease, while also helping to explain how scientific advice to the Government is being formed. The Government is working to publish evidence documents and studies, which have formed the basis of SAGE’s discussions and advice to Ministers, regularly, and will publish more evidence in the coming weeks.SAGE does not currently publish the R value on a regional level. SAGE publishes an updated estimate of the United Kingdom-wide R range on a weekly basis. Because outbreaks in hospitals and the community are interlinked, SAGE and its subgroups do not calculate the R rate in these settings separately.We have published guidance on COVID-19 infection prevention and control which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-controlThe Government has also used Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) including lockdowns, school closure, business closure, shielding and restricting gatherings to reduce infection rates and ensure that the National Health Service is not overwhelmed. If, after lifting restrictions, there is a concerning rise in the infection rate, then the Government will consider the reimpositions of restrictions, including locally targeted restrictions.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of undertaking contact tracing for people that have symptoms of covid-19 at the point they seek a test; what guidance he is providing to people who have those symptoms on proactively notifying contacts before test results are confirmed; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: In developing the NHS Test and Trace Service, the Government has received expert advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M), Independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B); the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) and others, to improve our understanding of what combination of interventions will have optimal impact on rate of transmission. This advice takes into account a range of clinical and behavioural evidence.Contact tracing through the NHS Test and Trace Service begins at the point someone receives a positive test. Guidance has been produced advising people on how to notify others they have been in close contact with ahead of receiving their test results. The guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works

Autism and Learning Disability: Finance

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people move from inpatient settings into the community for the financial year 2020-21.

Helen Whately: For 2020-21, NHS England and NHS Improvement have allocated £30 million to continue the delivery of NHS Long Term Plan commitments for people with a learning disability and autistic people. This funding includes the allocation of £22 million to support a further reduction in reliance on specialist inpatient care.In the Budget 2020, announced on 11 March, the Government committed to providing funding over the three years from 2020-21 to support discharge of individuals with learning disabilities or autism into the community. Allocations to local government will be confirmed in due course.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the (a) accuracy and (b) reliability of covid-19 modelling commissioned by his Department.

Jo Churchill: Part of the scientific advice provided to inform the United Kingdom’s response to COVID-19 is informed by a number of infectious disease models developed by world-leading academic and public health institutions under the Government’s Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M). SPI-M members use the latest available data on the COVID-19 epidemic to inform their modelling, and different institutions use different approaches and methodologies to bring together all plausible insights.The SPI-M group regularly compare and scrutinise the modelling methods used by individual institutions to ensure accuracy and reliability, whilst considering any reasonable uncertainty. The Royal Society’s Rapid Assistance in Modelling the Pandemic group of academics have provided further challenge where possible, through rapid reviews of work from SPI-M modellers.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Association of Directors of Public Health on their call for full implementation of all Phase 2 measures to be delayed until further consideration of the ongoing trends in infection rates and the R level gives more confidence on what the effect of those will be; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom’s response to COVID-19 is underpinned by scientific advice provided by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Part of this advice is informed by a number of infectious disease models, as well as advice from a range of experts in other scientific fields like behavioural science and epidemiology. Each of these models is overseen by world-leading academic and public health institutions, who come together in the UK Government’s Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M). SPI-M and SAGE regularly review R based on the latest available data.The recent changes in lockdown regulations are a cautious next step in bringing families and friends back together whilst limiting the transmission risk. We remain ready to put the brakes on and increase lockdown measures if the data shows that R is increasing.The Chief Medical Officer’s office holds regular calls with the Directors of Public Health about a range of issues relating to COVID-19 and some of the broader challenges.

Coronavirus: Learning Disability

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to data published by the Care Quality Commission on 2 June 2020 on deaths of people with a learning disability, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people with a learning disability that (a) contract and (b) die from covid-19.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to data published by the Care Quality Commission on 2 June 2020 on deaths of people with a learning disability, what assessment he has made of the reasons for excess deaths of people with a learning disability during the covid-19 outbreak.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to data published by the Care Quality Commission on 2 June 2020 on deaths of people with a learning disability, how many people that died from (a) confirmed and (b) suspected covid-19 lived in (i) community and (ii) residential care settings.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



On 15 April, we set out our comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including ramping up testing, overhauling the way personal protective equipment is being delivered to care homes and helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe. Since the start of this outbreak we have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to put in place guidance and support for adult social care and we will continue to ensure they have everything they need to respond. The Government has published a range of general COVID-19 guidance documents. We have worked with the Social Care Institute for Excellence on more detailed guidance on supporting people with learning disability and autistic people during the COVID-19 pandemic which is available at the following link:https://www.scie.org.uk/care-providers/coronavirus-covid-19/learning-disabilities-autismWe are commissioning Public Health England to undertake a thorough analysis of the numbers of deaths of people with a learning disability. This will draw on data published by NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to give as complete a picture of the impact of COVID-19 on this group of people as possible.The following table shows the breakdown of deaths of people with a learning disability in adult social care.Primary inspection categoryConfirmedSuspectedTotalCommunity based adult social care services782098Residential social care7233105Data collection is between 10 April and 15 May 2020. Details correct at 15 May 2020.It should be noted that the number of deaths included above may be higher than officially reported figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is because ONS deaths data is based on clinically verified death certificates whereas the CQC’s data is derived from notifications made by providers. In some cases, deaths may be reported to the CQC as COVID-19 related when the true cause of death is not due to COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Learning Disability

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to data published by the Care Quality Commission on 2 June 2020 on deaths of people with a learning disability, what changes he plans to make to the covid-19 testing regime to ensure that people with a learning disability are able to access covid-19 testing.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



From 7 June 2020 all remaining adult care homes will be able to access whole care home testing for all residents and asymptomatic staff through the digital portal at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-care-homeThese will include specialist adult care homes catering for adults with learning disabilities or mental health issues, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and other categories for younger adults under 65 years.We are continuing to explore how we can support other parts of the care sector such as supported living settings, extra care settings and domiciliary care. Anyone with suspected COVID-19 symptoms in these settings can access testing at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-essential-workers

Social Services: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the average price of each protective mask unit sold to social care providers from suppliers that have a contract with the Government to provide personal protective equipment for the last month in which data is available.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the average price of each protective mask sold to social care providers from private suppliers for the last month for which that data is available.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



We are working around the clock to give the social care sector and wider National Health Servicehe equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak. We continue to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to selected wholesalers to support social care. Additionally, we deliver PPE to all Local Resilience Forums to allow them to respond to urgent local spikes in need across the adult social care system. The National Supply Disruption Response operates a 24-hour helpline that can also respond to emergency PPE requests. Finally, we are rolling out a PPE Portal to help primary and social care providers to order critical PPE.Where we sell product to wholesalers we ask that they work within their existing margins. In the recent examples where there has been a significant increase in the cost of the product we have asked all wholesalers not to apply a percentage margin on these PPE items at the moment, but instead to apply the margin value they would have applied under the previous business as usual cost of the product.Information on average prices is commercially sensitive and cannot be published.

Internet: Medical Equipment

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of building an open software platform to match people and organisations most in need of vital medical supplies with those who can provide them.

Jo Churchill: The National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR) is an established process for collating urgent demand requirements and coordinating the optimal response. It was stood up to respond to supply disruption of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies as a result of COVID-19.The NSDR operates a 24 hours a day, seven days a week call centre facility to collate information on supply disruptions from those in urgent need of PPE and medical supplies which they are unable to source through their usual routes. The NSDR’s processes and systems are routinely reviewed in the wake of incidents and stakeholder feedback as part of continual improvement.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what alternative access arrangements he has made for people who do not have the necessary (a) phone and (b) other hardware to download the covid-19 tracking app.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The National Health Service COVID-19 contact tracing app is part of the wider NHS Test and Trace system, which ensures that there are multiple ways to access testing and contact tracing services. Anyone who has symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19, whether or not they are an app user, will be able to report symptoms and get a test to find out if they have the virus.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the process will be for the implementation of manual track and trace for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Public Health England leads the delivery of public health contact tracing activities working closely with local government and key national partners, such as the NHS Business Services Authority and NHS Professionals.The process of public health contact tracing for COVID-19 includes a web-based service where people list their contacts and the places they have visited. This helps contact tracers to collect data quickly and decide on the best way to follow up with these contacts. For those people who are not able to use the web-based service or where the situation is more complex, phone-based contact tracing is undertaken. Calls are carried out by either health professionals or specially trained call handlers depending on their complexity, with local health protection experts continuing to lead the investigation and control of more complex cases and situations.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that data collected through the covid-19 tracking application will not be used for reasons other than tracking for covid-19; and that data will not be sold by service providers.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Any data that app users have chosen to share with the National Health Service may be retained for research in the public interest, or by the NHS for planning and delivering services. This is in line with the law and subject to all the necessary approvals required by law. We have published a Data Protection Impact Assessment and a Privacy Notice that specify how the data collected via the app will be used and for what purposes.Companies working with the NHS are bound by robust contract and data processing agreements that specify how and when the data must be stored, secured, used and destroyed. Private commercial companies do not have access to personally identifiable data.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department make of the level of risk that the covid-19 tracking app could be hacked; and what steps he has taken to protect the app against such attacks.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Existing law and National Health Service standards set out a framework of protective measures to ensure the NHS COVID-19 app meets the level required to keep data secure.We have worked closely with the National Cyber Security Centre throughout the development of the app to ensure its security. For example, we have published the app’s source code, allowing security experts from across the world to scrutinise the app and to recommend improvements for us to implement. This is in addition to the continual monitoring, review and oversight that is undertaken by the Department and NHS.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women beyond 10 weeks' gestation have taken both sets of abortion pills in their home since 1 April 2020.

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what correspondence his Department has had with (a) Marie Stopes, (b) BPAS, (c) RCOG, and (d) CQC on (a) monitoring compliance of use of abortion pills at home with the practice of use before the end of 10 weeks' gestation and (b) recording the number of instances of prescription of those pills to women beyond that gestation period.

Helen Whately: Abortion data is published annually and data for 2020 is not due to be published until 2021. The data requires full quality assurance prior to release. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication.The Department is carefully monitoring the impact of and compliance with the temporary approval of home administration of both sets of abortion medication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers to discuss the impact and any issues arising.

Coronavirus: Social Distancing

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will conduct a regulatory impact assessment of the effect of PHE guidance on 2 metre social distancing during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



To help ensure implementation of its ‘Stay alert, control the virus and save lives’ strategy, the Government regularly reviews the impact of Public Health England’s (PHE) two metre social distancing guidance, collaborating closely with PHE to ensure its guidance is kept up to date as the regulations change in light of latest medical and scientific evidence.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria the Care Quality Commission is using to determine if it will inspect care homes during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) launched its Emergency Support Framework (ESF) in adult social care on 1 May. The CQC will assess any risks, using their decision to assess process, should any serious concerns be identified out of ESF conversations or from information received from service users or members of the public. While the specific justification for inspection will vary on a case by case basis, the three broad principles are a lack of response from the provider, issues around abuse or neglect and whether the provider is unable to cope. Where one of these is suspected or evident, an urgent Management Review Meeting is undertaken to decide the appropriate action. Any decision to inspect, or take enforcement action, is approved by the CQC’s Chief Inspectors.

Older People

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made on the merits of establishing a Commissioner for Older People; and if he would make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Government is committed to making this country one of the best places to grow old in.Across the health and social care system in England there are already systems in place that are able to listen to the voices of older people and respond to their concerns, such as through Care Quality Commission Inspections, Healthwatch England and via the policy that all older and vulnerable people have a single named local general practitioner that can help them navigate health and care.We have previously considered the merits of introducing an older people’s commissioner. However, we believe that the duties that would be covered by such a role are covered by work elsewhere in the system.

Abortion

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the Care Quality Commission to publish data on medical complications after an at-home abortion.

Helen Whately: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not have a statutory responsibility to report routinely on complications arising from abortion procedures. It may, however, report on such issues if they have been identified during the course of an inspection, or if a number of reported issues results in the CQC deciding to inspect the provider, and any concerns would be highlighted in its resulting provider inspection report. The CQC engages regularly with the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement on these matters.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he plans to hold with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the findings of the Public Health England report on Disparties in the risk and outcomes of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



The Department is regularly in discussions with the devolved administrations at both ministerial and official level on a wide range of issues relating to COVID-19. COVID-19 presents a global challenge which requires a collaborative response. The Department will continue to work with the devolved administrations throughout the crisis and beyond.The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) will be taking forward work off the back of Public Health England’s report on disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19. Stakeholder engagement will be a key part of that work, as set out in the Terms of Reference at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-work-on-covid-19-disparities-announced

Abortion: Drugs

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is the Government's policy that the temporary regulations to permit the use of both sets of abortion pills at home will not be extended beyond the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: The measures were put in place to ensure that the vast majority of women and girls could continue to access abortion services whilst limiting COVID-19 transmission. This change was made on a temporary basis only and is time limited for two years, or until the pandemic is over. The Department is keeping under review when the temporary approval will be removed.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the effectiveness of the Government's communications on social distancing, hygiene and personal protective equipment.

Jo Churchill: The Government is undertaking ongoing monitoring and evaluation of our public health campaigns to ensure that they are working as effectively as possible to reach the widest audience and encourage key health behaviours, including social distancing and hygiene behaviours.This includes a programme of quantitative and qualitative research that provides key metrics and in-depth understanding of who the campaigns are reaching and the impact this is having on audiences understanding, motivations and behaviours. This, in combination with econometrics and behavioural science, is used to measure, evaluate, and improve the effectiveness of our public health campaigns.

Coronavirus: Kingston Upon Hull

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in Hull have been contacted by the NHS covid-19 test and trace service.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in Hull are using the NHS covid-19 test and trace service.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government launched its new NHS Test and Trace service on 28 May 2020. This includes enhanced contact tracing.The Government published experimental statistics on 11 June which show that between 28 May and 3 June 2020 - 8,117 people who tested positive for COVID-19 had their case transferred to the contact tracing system, of whom 5,407 were asked to provide details of recent contacts; 31,794 contacts were identified and of these 26,985 were reached and advised to self-isolate. The data can be accessed at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/891703/NHS_test_and_trace_bulletin__England__-_28_May_to_3_June_2020.pdfThese figures are for England only; we will explore including regional data for future releases.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that contact tracers for covid-19 have adequate training to appropriately deal with people with mental health issues and vulnerable adults.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



All staff involved in contact tracing are required to undergo appropriate levels of accredited safeguarding training modules for adults and children.

Contact Tracing: North West

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contact tracers for covid-19 there are in (a) the North West, (b) Liverpool City Region, (c) Wirral and (d) Wallasey.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



Contract tracing is delivered through partnerships between Public Health England, NHS Professionals and commercial call handling companies, and the local authorities. The public health workforce for each local authority is a matter for them to determine and this varies according to the size of each authority.

Prisoners: Health Services

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the additional extent to which secondary care services for prisoners, including diagnostic fluid tests, are being performed by primary care staff within prisons due to the increasing use of remote outpatient consultations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what assessment he has made of the potential need to transfer resources allocated for these services to providers of healthcare within prisons.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have made no such assessments. Primary care teams in prisons are working with their counterparts in secondary care to ensure people in prisons are able to access the care they need during the COVID-19 pandemic, including through telemedicine where appropriate.

Carers: Protective Clothing

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure home carers can access adequate and affordable supplies of personal protective equipment.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



The Government is doing everything it can to get home carers the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to provide care and support safely. On 11 May, we published guidance to support the health and wellbeing of those in the adult social care workforce.As part of our commitment to ensure that social care receives the PPE it needs, we continue to supply PPE to selected wholesalers to support social care. Additionally, we deliver PPE to all Local Resilience Forums to allow them to respond to urgent local spikes in need across the adult social care system. The National Supply Disruption Response operates a 24-hour helpline that can also respond to emergency PPE requests. Finally, we are rolling out a PPE Portal to help primary and social care providers to order critical PPE.

Pharmacy: Coronavirus

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with (a) the Pharmacists' Defence Association, (b) pharmacy employers and (c) trades unions representing pharmacy workers on ensuring the safety of community pharmacy staff.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been regular contact between the Department and the Pharmacists' Defence Association on COVID-19 related issues. In addition, the Department has engaged with bodies representing community pharmacy employers on COVID-19 and the safety of community pharmacy staff and invited the Pharmacists' Defence Association to participate. For any further meetings on this issue, the Department will continue to invite the Pharmacists' Defence Association as well as other unions representing pharmacy workers.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Disparities in the risk and outcomes of covid-19 review, what steps he is taking to increase protections against covid-19 for BAME healthcare workers in the West Midlands.

Helen Whately: All National Health Service organisations will continue to make appropriate arrangements to support their black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff. NHS Employers updated its guidance on risk assessments on 28 May, advising organisations to consider issues such as pregnancy, disability, age and ethnicity.NHS England and NHS Improvement Midlands are also linking with BAME networks to ensure that BAME staff have a voice and can raise their concerns. These concerns have been fed back to Human Resources Directors across the Midlands.

Atrial Fibrillation: Diagnosis

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2020 to Question 19959 on Atrial Fibrillation: Diagnosis, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on progress in meeting Public Health England's ambitions to improve detection of atrial fibrillation.

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeline is for the (a) conclusion of the evaluation from NHS England’s atrial fibrillation demonstrator site programme and (b) potential roll out of that programme across a larger number of clinical commissioning group areas.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England has not made an assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of the national cardiovascular disease ambitions.NHS England’s atrial fibrillation demonstrator pilot programme was completed in March 2020. Evaluation of the atrial fibrillation demonstrator pilot was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The evaluation will recommence in early July 2020. A report will be made available in early 2021 to share learnings from the pilot which will inform local and national action.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his Scottish Government counterpart on the heightened effect of covid-19 on BAME communities.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 09 June 2020



The Department is regularly in discussions with the devolved administrations at both ministerial and official level on a wide range of issues relating to COVID-19. COVID-19 presents a global challenge which requires a collaborative response. The Department will continue to work with the devolved administrations throughout the crisis and beyond.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the reviews carried out on (a) 16 April 2020, (b) 7 May 2020 and (c) 28 May 2020 under the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England)  Regulations 2020.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 09 June 2020



The Government has published a broad strategy on our plans for the measures and how we will review them in the ‘Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy’ document on 11 May. The Prime Minister made an oral statement to the Commons on 11 May. In addition, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made Written Ministerial Statements on 28 April (HCWS206) and 2 June (HCWS253).In recognition of the importance of transparency in these unprecedented times, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has been publishing the statements and the accompanying evidence it has reviewed to demonstrate how the scientific understanding of COVID-19 has continued to evolve as new data emerges, and how SAGE’s advice has quickly adapted to new findings that reflect a changing situation. The relevant information can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-responseThis list will be updated as SAGE releases papers from recent and future meetings.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) healthcare support the Government is providing to people with a cleft lip.

Helen Whately: NHS England commissions all specialist cleft lip services provided by Cleft Lip and Palate Centres, including services delivered on an outreach basis as part of a clinical network of services.The service provides surgery and specialist care for patients with cleft lip and/or palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction in order to ensure that patients achieve an aesthetic and functional facial appearance, and to maximise oral feeding, hearing, speech and psycho-social wellbeing.

Nurses: Ethnic Groups

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are employed as a (a) staff nurse, (b) senior staff nurse, (c) ward manager and (d) senior ward manager in England, by ethnicity.

Helen Whately: The Department holds data on the breakdown of staff nurses by ethnicity.The data in the following table is taken from the Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics: ‘Staff with a Job Role of Staff Nurse by Ethnicity’, in National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England, as at 29 February 2020, headcount.Ethnic CategoryHeadcountAll Ethnic Categories172,145Asian or Asian British26,034Black or Black British17,155Chinese627Mixed2,731White106,261Any Other Ethnic Group10,725Discontinued codes45Not Stated6,692Unknown1,875

Social Distancing: Restaurants

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to permit responsible and socially distanced reopening of restaurants in housing-with-care developments.

Helen Whately: The Government has announced five new Ministerial-led taskforces to plan how closed sectors can reopen safely including the pubs and restaurants sector. Subject to transmission of the virus continuing to decline and if businesses comply with COVID-19 secure guidelines to protect staff and customers, more businesses will be permitted to open this monthWe have set out clear, practical steps that businesses should take to ensure their workplaces are COVID-19 secure and give their staff the confidence to return back to work.The Government will continue to review the measures, assessing them to ensure that they continue to be necessary and proportionate based on available scientific evidence, which includes up to date data.

Pharmacy: Prescriptions

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he take steps to ensure that the public is consulted prior to bringing forward legislative proposals to grant pharmacists the power to amend prescriptions as they see fit in the event of shortages of medicine.

Jo Churchill: Allowing pharmacists to take local action to amend prescriptions without a Serious Shortage Protocol being in place could potentially risk exacerbating shortages by depleting supplies of any alternative medicine provided. The Government is not currently formally pursuing such a proposal in England.

Agricultural Shows: Coronavirus

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the role of PPE shortages in the deaths of the 760 care workers who died in the period 21 March to 8 May 2020.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 09 June 2020



The Department remains committed to ensuring that those on the frontline responding to COVID-19 are provided with the critical personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to do their job safely. On 15 April, the Adult Social Care Action Plan set out how the Government will support the adult social care sector specifically. This included guidance on the use and distribution of PPE in social care settings.The hon. member has quoted a figure from the recent ‘COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes’ report by Public Health England (PHE) published on 2 June 2020. The 760 figure which the hon. member has referred to is the total number of deaths from all causes, not excess deaths, and not COVID-19 deaths. The figure also refers to all those grouped under ‘caring personal services’, which includes care workers, but also includes other occupations such as ambulance staff, dental nurses, and undertakers. By filtering the data to ‘social care workers’ (as defined by the Office for National Statistics in their publication on COVID-19 related deaths by occupation), the PHE analysis of mortality data shows that at least 214 deaths involving COVID-19 among social care workers were registered from 21 March to 8 May 2020 (in England, of those aged 20-64 years).

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the findings in relation to health inequalities of the report, Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years, published in February 2020 and the findings of the Public Health England report, Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19, published in June 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Government has been clear that every single one of us, no matter who we are, where we live, or our social circumstances, deserves to lead a long and healthy life.Public Health England’s report has further emphasised that we must do more to level up health across the country and reduce health inequalities.Professor Sir Michael Marmot has already played an important role in shining a light on the vital issue of inequalities and his dedicated work and the wider determinants of good health will be considered as part of the work being taken forward by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP).

Hydroxychloroquine

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the Government has purchased £5 million worth of hydroxychloroquine before clinical trials have proved the effectiveness of that drug against covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 10 June 2020



The Department has procured supplies of hydroxychloroquine to support nationally prioritised United Kingdom clinical trials. In addition, the Department has been securing additional supplies of a number of medicines, including hydroxychloroquine, which would ensure sufficient stocks are available to be rapidly deployed for National Health Service patients should clinical trial evidence show it to be safe and effective to do so. The Department continues to review supply requirements as further clinical evidence becomes available.

Coronavirus: Israel

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Israel’s use of plasma samples obtained by Magen David Adom from patients who have recovered from covid-19 on patients with severe symptoms of that disease.

Helen Whately: An assessment has not been made at this stage of the effectiveness of Israel’s use of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients (convalescent plasma) on patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. However, all international evidence on the use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients will be considered when the results of the trials are available, in addition to the findings from the clinical trials currently taking place in the United Kingdom.Clinical trials in the UK include patients receiving convalescent plasma, to determine if it can help those with the virus. NHS Blood and Transplant is collecting convalescent plasma to supply the clinical trials and for wider treatment, if it is shown to be effective in reducing disease symptoms.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the trends in the level of the potency of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



Public Health England has made no assessment on the trends in the level of the potency of COVID-19.

NHS: Conditions of Employment and Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to increase (a) pay and (b) benefits for NHS staff.

Helen Whately: Pay has already increased in April this year for over 1 million National Health Service staff, as a result of existing multi year pay and contract reform deals agreed for our Agenda for Change staff and for doctors and dentists in training.The independent pay review body will make recommendations for 2020/21 for consultants, speciality doctors, dentists and salaried general practitioners.

NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme 2020

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS employees' families have accessed the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme.

Helen Whately: The NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance (England) Scheme 2020 opened on 20 May 2020. As of 11 June 2020, the scheme administrator has received 62 queries from families and employers. Four claim forms have so far been submitted.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of hospital services for 18-25 year olds with severe mental health issues.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



NHS England and NHS Improvement have responsibility for quality of NHS services, including mental health, and the Care Quality Commission inspects the quality of health services through a robust inspection framework to ensure quality standards are maintained.Under the NHS Long Term Plan (2019), we will focus on improving the quality of inpatient care across the National Health Service, including for 18-25 year olds with severe mental health issues. The NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24 (2019) highlighted that all local areas are required to have a workplan and trajectories in place to reduce out of area placements, which include working to improve local system/bed capacity management and unwarranted variation in length of stay where this exists.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS test and trace system will be (a) inclusive and (b) accessible for disabled people.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We aim to ensure that the NHS Test and Trace system is accessible for all groups in society. Equality assessments have been undertaken to inform policy decisions to implement the system and, in line with our legal duties, we continue to assess impact as NHS Test and Trace is rolled out. We will make ongoing improvements to ensure the system is fully inclusive and accessible to all.Work to date has included ensuring the Coronavirus Testing Call Centre can be accessed by people with hearing or speech difficulties, putting in place a home testing service so that those who cannot leave the home are able to access testing, using clinical contact tracers to conduct telephone interviews with those who do not use the internet, developing guidance for unpaid carers on administering tests for others, and ensuring local services are in place for vulnerable people who may need additional support when self-isolating.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of NHS funding has been allocated to mental health services in (a) each year since 2009-10 and (b) 2020-21.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of real terms changes to NHS mental health funding per year from 2009-10 to date in (a) percentage and (b) cash terms.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



The Department does not hold the requested breakdown of funding. How the National Health Service budget is allocated to mental health services will depend on the commissioning decisions of individual commissioner organisations.Since 2018/19, the NHS in England has met its commitment that the increase in local funding for mental health (excluding learning disabilities and dementia) is at least in line with the overall increase in the money available to them - the mental health investment standard.

Health and Social Services: Coronavirus

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff working in health and social care in England have died from covid-19.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



As of 9 June 2020, 211 National Health Service staff deaths involving COVID-19 have been reported in England. The number of NHS worker deaths is verified from direct reports from NHS employing organisations and the number of individuals identified as deceased healthcare workers by non-NHS organisations. This information is investigated and triangulated by NHS England to give a high level of confidence of validity.Public Health England analysis of mortality data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that at least 214 deaths involving COVID-19 among social care workers were registered 21 March to 8 May 2020 (in England, of those aged 20-64 years). The ONS will be publishing an updated figure in due course.

Breast Cancer: Clinical Trials

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of breast cancer clinical trials have been paused in England as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) has information on 92 breast cancer clinical trials which it was supporting in March 2020. Half (50%) of these trials paused their recruitment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 45% have continued and 5% have closed.We have now entered a new phase of the pandemic, where the number of new cases of COVID-19 is declining so the NIHR, including the CRN, is working towards the restoration of research funded and/or supported by the NIHR - including clinical trials on breast cancer. To help initiate this process, the NIHR has developed a ‘Framework for Restart’, which provides a structure to guide the restart, while maintaining local decision-making and flexibility to respond to COVID-19. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/restart-framework/24886

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on the proportion of identified contacts who are then traced as a part of the NHS Test and Trace system.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



These data are collected as management information from the NHS Test and Trace Service. The Department plans to publish information from the first week of the tracing service, on Thursday 11 June.

Care Homes: Dementia

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what impact assessment his Department undertook on the effect on care home residents with dementia of ending visits by their relatives during the covid-19 outbreak before that decision was implemented.

Helen Whately: Our guidance is developed and updated in line with the latest scientific advice, and in conjunction with the care sector and public health experts to ensure that residents receive the right care and support for their individual needs.The Department, National Health Service, Public Health England, and the Care Quality Commission have published guidance on the care of residents in care homes, including those with dementia. This covers information on visiting care home residents.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people discharged from hospital into care homes (a) tested positive for covid 19 and (b) had an unknown covid-19 status between 2 March and 4 May 2020.

Helen Whately: The Department does not currently hold data on the total number of people who were discharged from hospital into care homes, who tested positive for COVID-19 and had an unknown COVID-19 status between 2 March and 4 May.

Cancer: Mental Illness

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mandatory training is provided for (a) the NHS workforce and (b) healthcare professionals working in oncology to deliver mental health assessments for people with cancer.

Helen Whately: National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring that the staff they employ are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients. Individual trusts must decide what specific mandatory training they deem appropriate for their employees.Training programmes for healthcare professionals must meet the standards set by the regulatory body for their profession. Training curricula for doctors emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients. While medical and other clinical curricula equip healthcare professionals with the skills necessary to consider a patient’s mental health during treatment, individual trusts are responsible for mandating training for their employees and setting appropriate policies for assessing and treating patients.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish his response to the National Care Forum letter of (a) 26 March 2020 on the discharge to care homes of hospital patients who had not been tested for the covid-19 virus and were exhibiting symptoms of that virus and (b) 10 April 2020 on the risk of litigation in the event of the discharge to care homes of hospital patients that were not tested for covid-19 subsequently infecting other care home residents.

Helen Whately: The Department does not have record of the mentioned correspondence from the National Care Forum.As set out in the Adult Social Care Action Plan on 15 April, all patients are now required to be tested prior to discharge to a care home.A small number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 may be discharged from the National Health Service within the 14-day period from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and also require ongoing social care. Some care providers will be able to accommodate these individuals through effective isolation strategies or cohorting policies – such as keeping residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 together in one dedicated area.If a care home provider does not feel they can provide the appropriate care for these individuals, the individual’s local authority should secure alternative appropriate accommodation and care for the remainder of the required isolation period. Costs of providing alternative accommodation are covered by the £1.3 billion COVID-19 discharge funding provided via the NHS in March.

Dyslexia: Diagnosis

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2020 to Question 47250 on Dyslexia: Diagnosis, what his policy is on identifying and diagnosing dyslexia in the adult population.

Helen Whately: The NHS.UK website advises that adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia should contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice.NHS England allocates funding to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) which commission services on behalf of their local populations. It is for CCGs to decide how best to use the funding allocated to them in line with local healthcare needs and priorities, working with other local commissioners and organisations.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether medical doctors arriving from abroad to work in the UK may avoid having to quarantine for 14 days by submitting to a test for covid-19 antigens.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 include an exemption for registered healthcare professionals from the requirement to quarantine, if they are required to return to, or start work within 14 days of arrival in the United Kingdom.

Respite Care: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the quality of care of carers not being able to access breaks or respite support during the covid-19 outbreak in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) the UK.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



This information is not held centrally.

Carers: Protective Clothing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will give carers providing unpaid care priority access to personal protective equipment in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) the UK.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Government recognises the crucial role unpaid carers play, especially during this difficult period. The Department is currently working with Public Health England to review the advice to unpaid carers on use of personal protective equipment.On 8 April the Government published guidance for unpaid carers which provides general advice, including advice on infection control, links to other information and support, and advice on caring where someone has symptoms. This can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-providing-unpaid-care

Blood: LGBT People

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to allow homosexual and bisexual men to participate in donating antibodies to help in the response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



All men must wait three months after having sexual contact with another man before donating blood or blood products. This deferral is based on expert advice from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs.We recognise that people want to be considered as individuals as much as possible. Separately to the convalescent plasma trial, NHS Blood and Transplant is already working collaboratively with LGBT+ groups on blood donation, through the FAIR (For Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group. The FAIR group is using an evidence-based approach to explore if a more individualised blood donation risk assessment can be safely and practically introduced, while ensuring the safe supply of blood and blood products to patients. The work of FAIR has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is progressing and the group plans to submit a report before the end of the year. Whether or not any recommended changes to the donor deferral will apply to the convalescent plasma trials is to be confirmed.

Day Care: Children

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 provide for (a) family members and (b) friends to provide free childcare in their homes for parents who have to work.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



Where parents or someone with parental responsibility do not live in the same household, children under 18 can be moved between their parents’ homes to continue existing arrangements for access and contact.From 13 June, a lone parent you can form a support bubble with another household which would allow arrangements to provide informal (i.e. unpaid) childcare. This household can be family members or friends. The Government will continue to work with the childcare sector to ensure that sufficient, safe, appropriate and affordable childcare is available for those returning to work, and for all families who need it in the longer term.

Charities: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the loss of funding to medical research charities on health outcomes in (a) cancer, (b) neurological conditions, (c) respiratory conditions (d) other medical conditions.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



Medical research charities are an integral part of the United Kingdom’s world-leading life sciences sector and for providing research on health outcomes. The Department is closely liaising with the Association of Medical Research Charities, as well as individual charities, to understand the impact of the pandemic on this sector and identify how best the Government and charities can work together to ensure that patients continue benefiting from charity funded research. This is particularly important for medical research on health outcomes irrespective of the condition.

NHS: Data Protection

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department undertook data protection impact assessments before entering into NHS data-sharing contracts with (a) Faculty, (b) Palantir and (c) other companies.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation, and always undertake an appropriate Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for all new products, systems and processing activities.The DPIA would identify the requirement for any data processing or data sharing agreement, and they would be put in place accordingly.

Carers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to implement an identification scheme for unpaid carers in (a) the Barnsley Central constituency and (b) England.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Carers Action Plan 2018-2020 ‘Supporting carers today’ (published on 5 June 2018) sets out a two-year programme of targeted work to support unpaid carers in England. It puts a focus on practical actions to support carers, including improving identification of carers, and gives visibility to the work already underway or planned within Government.In addition to the Government’s Carers Action Plan, the National Health Service has set out a plan to help improve the identification and support of carers and unpaid carers within the NHS Long Term Plan. Understandably, the implementation of some aspects have been impacted by the COVID-19 response. The NHS Long Term Plan focuses on four key areas:- Implementing Quality Markers in primary care: this is a framework to support general practitioner practices identify carers within their practices and thinking about their individual support needs, from offering health screening to connecting to local support organisations;- Developing a similar set of quality markers for secondary care, which will incorporate the promotion and embedding of carer passports; and- Improving identification of carers from vulnerable communities: many carers feel hidden and we will be working with regional, Integrated Care System Carers Leads and Carers organisations to co-design approaches to make NHS service to carers who may have felt excluded or found access difficult.NHS England has also worked with young carers across the country to develop a set of ‘top tips’ for primary care to improve their experience of and access to services. They will be working with carers, carers support organisations and integrated care system teams to roll these out and identify how we improve the identification and support of young carers across communities.

Carers: Barnsley Central

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to publish a second Carers Action Plan to support carers in the Barnsley Central constituency.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Government published the ‘Carers Action Plan 2018 – 2020 supporting carers today’ which sets out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support all carers in England over two years until the end of June this year.A final report on the action plan will be produced later this year and, alongside this report, the Government will consider the best next steps to support carers.In addition to the Carers Action Plan, most local authorities have their own individual care plans to support unpaid carers in their areas.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of permitting partners from different households to form social bubbles during the covid-19 outbreak; and whether he has received scientific advice on that matter.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



Single adult households can form a support bubble with another household. People in relationships who live apart can form a bubble as long as one of the people in a relationship lives in a single adult household and all members of the other household are willing to form an exclusive support bubble.It is very important that if someone in any of these linked households shows COVID-19 symptoms, or is otherwise self-isolating, they should all stay at home. This is critical to controlling the virus, by avoiding a chain of transmission.

Hearing Impaired: Protective Clothing

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of face coverings on accessibility for people who are deaf or have hearing loss.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



We know that face coverings can cause significant communication challenges for those who rely on lip-reading, facial expressions or clear and unmuffled sounds such as people who are deaf or have hearing loss.We are engaging with disability organisations to assess the impact of requirements to wear face coverings. We are working across Government to identify what reasonable adjustments can be made for disabled people.

Autism: Kent

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Kent waiting for an initial assessment for autism spectrum condition significantly longer than the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard; and what steps he is taking to ensure that no patients have to wait for more than three months for their first appointment.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The 2018 autism self-assessment framework, published in June 2017, showed that the average wait between referral and assessment for autism diagnostic assessment for Kent County Council was 40 weeks. Further information is available at the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/autism-self-assessment-framework-exerciseWe expect local services to adhere to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard on autism which states that the length of time between referral and a first appointment to start an assessment should be no more than three months.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the General Dental Council on rebating fees for registrants to mitigate the effect of the covid-19 lockdown on the income of dental care professionals.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The General Dental Council (GDC) is an independent regulator and is therefore responsible for determining the level of the annual fee it charges for registration. The GDC uses the income from fees to carry out its statutory duties. In October 2019, the GDC reduced its Annual Retention Fee for all dental professionals following a strategic review of its operating processes and costs and a public consultation on its three-year costed plan.On 20 May 2020, the Chair of the GDC wrote to all registrants to advise that the GDC would not be making any changes to its Annual Retention Fee, or introducing an emergency payment by instalments scheme, in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pregnancy: Coronavirus

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report entitled Characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women admitted to hospital with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK: national population based cohort study published in the British Medical Journal on 8 June 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The report, based on cases submitted to the National Institute for Health Research-funded United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System, found that more than half of pregnant women admitted to hospital with SARS-CoV-2 infection were from black or other ethnic minority groups, most women did not have severe illness and were admitted in the third trimester, and transmission of infection to infants of infected mothers may occur but is uncommon.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 9 of Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and page 21 of the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019-20 to 2023-24, what funding formula was used to determine CCG baseline allocations for community eating disorder services for children and young people.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The indicative funding profile for children and young people’s eating disorder services in the Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20-2023/24 correlates to the national workforce and activity trajectories also set out in the Implementation Plan. These were modelled on the indicative workforce costs to achieve the children and young people’s eating disorder waiting time standard by the end of 2020/21 and being maintained thereafter.Funding is then allocated as part of overall clinical commissioning group budgets, using a statistical formula to make geographic distribution fair and objective so that it more clearly reflects local healthcare needs and helps to reduce health inequalities.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population that will need to download the covid-19 test and trace app in order for it to prove effective.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



The National Health Service COVID-19 app is designed to work as part of a wider approach to testing and contact tracing that aims to benefit everyone. The app will have a positive impact at any level of uptake.All the evidence shows that even at lower levels of use, the app can help reduce the rate of transmission - but the more people who download and use the app, the more effective it will be. We are working closely with Oxford University and The Alan Turing Institute to continue modelling effectiveness at different levels.We are working hard to ensure alignment between the app and the traditional measures of contact tracing so that they complement each other and work together to protect vulnerable groups and those who are unable or do not wish to use digital tools.

Liver Diseases

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to respond to the Lancet Standing Commission report entitled Unacceptable failures: the final report of the Lancet Commission into liver disease in the UK, published in November 2019.

Helen Whately: NHS England’s Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group has already taken action in response to the Lancet Commission report into liver disease in the United Kingdom, such as starting work on the development of liver networks in England.More broadly, the Department is also taking action regarding key liver disease risk factors such as excessive alcohol consumption and obesity, and the Prevention Green Paper, ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’, recognises the need for a range of actions to address causes of preventable ill health.

Liver Diseases

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of vacancies in the NHS are for hepatologists.

Helen Whately: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Eating Disorders: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on people that suffer from eating disorders.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have not made such an assessment. However, we recognise the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and self-isolation measures will impact the mental health and wellbeing of the population. This impact may be greater for some vulnerable people, particularly for those with pre-existing mental health conditions such as eating disorders.Since March, we have announced over £9 million of funding support for mental health charities supporting vulnerable people through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are delighted that the eating disorder charity Beat has been awarded grant funding through this process to continue the valuable work it does in supporting people with eating disorders.Mental health services are open and working to support people with mental health issues through the coronavirus pandemic and NHS England has instructed all National Health Service mental health trusts to establish 24 hours a day, seven days a week mental health crisis lines for urgent NHS mental health support, including for people with eating disorders.

Complementary Medicine: Coronavirus

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for the reopening of (a) pain clinics and (b)(i) physio, (ii) osteopathy and (iii) acupuncture centres.

Edward Argar: We continue to work closely with the National Health Service and partners and guidance has already been issued to the NHS on the process of starting to restore urgent non-COVID-19 services in a safe way. The approach will be flexed at local level according to capacity and demand in different parts of the country and will be gradual.

Disability: Children

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to permit support bubbles for families who usually receive childcare support for disabled children from members of their family residing in other households with multiple occupants.

Helen Whately: Since 1 June, people have been allowed to meet outdoors in groups of up to six from different households, (including people you do not live with) where childcare can be provided.From 13 June, it will also be permitted for single adult households to form a support bubble with another household. People who live apart can form a bubble as long as one person in the relationship lives in a single adult household and all members of the other household are willing to form an exclusive support bubble.Guidance on meeting people from outside of your household has been published and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-people-from-outside-your-householdThe Government keeps these arrangements under regular review and the next review date is 25 June.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health organisations he has met with (a) in 2020 and (b) since the start of the lockdown due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health trusts he has met with (a) in 2020 and (b) since the start of the lockdown due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he has had on the subject of mental health since the start of the lockdown due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Ministers regularly engage with a wide range of mental health organisations, including mental health trusts, as part of Departmental business.

Gosport War Memorial Hospital

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to seek justice for those patients who died prematurely at Gosport Hospital.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



The police assessment of evidence relating to the events at Gosport War Memorial Hospital has now turned into an independent police lead investigation. This investigation is independent from the Department and the Government. Since this announcement the Department has been liaising closely with police colleagues to understand their approach. The key points are that Operation Magenta are now in its investigative stage of which there will be several potential outcomes.

Carers: City of Durham

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish a second carers action plan for carers in the City of Durham.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to establish a scheme to identify unpaid carers in (a) the City of Durham and (b) England in order to provide them with access to help and support.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



The Government published the ‘Carers Action Plan 2018 – 2020 supporting carers today’ published in June 2018, which sets out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support all unpaid carers, including improving the identification of carers, and gives visibility to the work already underway or planned within Government over two years until the end of June this year.A final report on the action plan will be produced later this year and, alongside this report the Government will consider the best next steps to support carers.In addition to the Carers Action Plan, most local authorities have their own individual care plans or strategies to support unpaid carers in their areas.On the point about a scheme to identify unpaid carers, in addition to the Government’s Carers Action Plan, the National Health Service has set out a plan to help improve the identification and support of carers and unpaid carers within the NHS Long Term Plan. Understandably, the implementation of some aspects of this have been impacted by the COVID-19 response.

Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he last met with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss Official Development Assistance spending.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of the contractors involved in building each NHS Nightingale hospital; and how much each contractor was awarded for that construction work.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment: Coronavirus

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of deploying temperature checks more extensively to reduce the risk of covid-19 being spread in workplaces which are re-opening as lockdown restrictions are eased.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which contractors participated in building each (a) Nightingale and (b) field hospital; and how much funding each contractor was awarded for that work.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government: Coronavirus

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government taking to support local authorities in supporting families with a child who is abusing (a) drugs and (b) alcohol during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Supported Housing: Coronavirus

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to extend covid-19 testing for all eligible care homes to residents in supported living settings.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what arrangements are in place for patients being discharged from hospital and into care homes to prevent the spread of covid-19.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice and support is available for people who are clinically vulnerable to covid-19 but who have not been told that they are required to be shield.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Training

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the training programme undertaken by NHS Test and Trace contact tracers includes information on (a) identifying child abuse and neglect and b) the steps to take in the event that they suspect a child is at risk.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asthma: Health Services

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) people with severe asthma can access specialist centres for investigations and diagnosis and (b) severe asthma patients who are shielding during the covid-19 outbreak retain access to biologic therapies.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccination: Procurement

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many suppliers there are for each vaccine on the routine immunisation schedule.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccination: Procurement

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the need for multiple suppliers of routine vaccinations.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money his Department has spent on emergency contracts in respect of the covid-19 outbreak since the covid-19 lockdown began.

Edward Argar: Guidance on how contracting authorities should respond to COVID-19 was published on 18 March. Authorities are allowed to procure goods, services and works with extreme urgency in exceptional circumstances using regulation 32(2)(c) under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. We have made it clear that authorities must continue to achieve value for money for taxpayers and use good commercial judgement in the awarding of contracts.As of the beginning of June, 636 contracts have been awarded by the Department to private sector companies worth approximately £6.2 billion by the Department. The value is based on Purchase Orders raised which still have to be validated. Final agreed contract values will be published in the individual Contract Award Notices in the Official Journal of the European; and we publish certain information on Contracts Finder about contracts awarded.

Department for International Development

CDC: Fossil Fuels

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2020 to Question 18886 on CDC: Fossil Fuels, what the initial value of those investments was; and what the current value of those investments is.

James Duddridge: The initial value of investments listed in Question 18886 was approximately $741 million. The value of those investments as of 31 December 2019 was approximately $866 million.

World Health Organisation: Coronavirus

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will support the ACT Accelerator and its grantees to work with the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 Technology Access Pool.

Wendy Morton: The UK has welcomed the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator since its launch on 24 April 2020. We look forward to further engagement with this collaborative initiative and continue to support the work done under the ACT Accelerator to develop new vaccines, treatments and tests, and to accelerate global access to these essential health technologies for everyone. The UK has also long supported affordable and equitable access to essential medicines through our funding. We have committed over £313 million of UK aid to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), supporting equitable access to COVID-19 medical technologies.We are seeking additional detail from the World Health Organisation on how the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) will fit into the wider global governance for development of COVID-19 medical technologies (including the ACT-Accelerator). The UK supports the work of the Medicines Patent Pool as an existing mechanism to facilitate pooling and IP sharing. We remain committed to collaborating with public and private partners on additional arrangements to support equitable and affordable access, including options for non-exclusive voluntary licensing. We believe that a voluntary approach to intellectual property has advantages over mandatory approaches, and creates a sounder basis for long-lasting, beneficial relationships, and incentives to create new much-needed innovations.

Department for International Development: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the criteria her Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Wendy Morton: To tackle poverty and advance our Global Britain objectives, DFID takes evidence-based spending decisions and maintains high standards of programme delivery that are consistent with HMG best practice.

Department for International Development: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department's share of the Official Development Assistance budget will be reduced in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Wendy Morton: The UK has a legal commitment to spend 0.7% of its gross national income (GNI) each year on Official Development Assistance (ODA). This commitment is linked to GNI. HM Treasury allocates ODA budgets to departments and is responsible for decisions on changes to these allocations.

Department for International Development: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is signing new funding agreements for projects funded by Official Development Assistance.

Wendy Morton: The government reviews the ODA funding it allocates to projects on a regular basis in order to ensure delivery of its commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on ODA.

Sierra Leone: Power Stations

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what losses have been incurred by CDC and Globeleq on the CECA SL Heavy Fuel Oil power plant in Sierra Leone.

James Duddridge: The CECA SL energy project in Sierra Leone was not progressed past the preparatory stage. As a result, CDC made no investment and has not incurred any investment losses on the project. Globeleq did incur project development costs, which were written off in 2018.

Department for Education

Home Education: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2020 to Question 46667, on Education: Coronavirus, how much of the £100 million funding that the Government has committed to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children in England to access remote education is being allocated to (a) devices and (b) connectivity; and how much of that funding has been spent to date.

Vicky Ford: The government has committed over £100 million to help schools and young people continue their education at home and access online social care services. We have committed over £14 million on technical support to give schools access to cloud-based education platforms, nearly £6 million to support a new demonstrator school network who are offering peer support on how to use education technology, and over £85 million to provide laptops, tablets and 4G internet devices, including security and e-safety packages and their distribution, and to top up the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.The department has also partnered with BT to give 10,000 young people free access to BT Wi-Fi hotspots, who do not have access to good internet by other means.

Students: EU Nationals

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Government's policy is on the (a) fee and (b) immigration status of students from the EU starting courses at UK universities in 2021.

Michelle Donelan: We recognise how important it is that students and providers have information on eligibility for student support before applications for courses open. Applications for courses starting in the academic year 2021/22 do not open until September 2020. We will provide sufficient notice for prospective EU students on fee arrangements ahead of the 2021/22 academic year and subsequent years in the future.

Further Education: Standards

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the (a) quality of education at universities and (b) the attainment of students of universities that are planning to operate online during the 2020/21 academic year.

Michelle Donelan: Higher education providers reacted rapidly to move provision online (in many cases within 24 hours), to enable higher education students to complete the 2019/20 academic year. Providers are currently planning to move to blended or dual provision for the next academic year. They have redesigned courses and timetables to be suitable for these new styles of delivery, as well as front-loading the year with more online friendly provision and moving areas which require practical, face-to-face teaching or assessment to the back of the academic year.Providers have also demonstrated a high level of agility while addressing issues around infrastructure, changing course content and developing new methods of assessment. To help support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19, the government has worked closely with the Office for Students (OfS) to clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding worth around £23 million per month for June and July, towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment.The OfS has published information and guidance for providers and students, including frequently asked questions on a broad range of issues. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education has also published a series of guides to support providers to secure academic standards and to support student achievement during the outbreak. The OfS has made it clear that all higher education providers must continue to meet conditions related to the quality of their courses and the standard of qualifications that they award. This means ensuring that higher education courses are high quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected.

Children and Young People: Social Services

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the reports published in May 2020 by Barnardo's, the Children's Society, Action for Children, the NSPCC and the National Children's Bureau entitled Children’s and young people’s services: funding and spending 2010-11 to 2018-19 and Pressures on children’s and young people’s services: a deep dive, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for children's services in response to the findings of those reports.

Vicky Ford: The government announced at the Local Government Finance Settlement that English councils' core spending power is rising by over £2.9 billion this financial year. This includes £1 billion of new grant funding that can be used flexibly by local authorities to deliver adult and children’s social care services. Further to this, the government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures including on children’s services. We will keep this under very close review over the coming weeks and months.Longer term funding considerations are a matter for the next Spending Review.

Pupils: Mental Health

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of changes to education as a result of covid-19 on the mental health of pupils.

Vicky Ford: Ministers and officials in the Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care are meeting regularly to discuss the effect of the changes to education and how to provide support for mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Access to mental health support is more important than ever during the COVID-19 outbreak. NHS services remain open, and leading mental health charities are being supported to deliver additional services through the £5 million Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund. During Mental Health Awareness Week, the government announced that a further £4.2 million will be awarded to mental health charities, including the Samaritans, Young Minds, and Bipolar UK.All NHS mental health trusts have been asked to ensure that there are 24/7 open access telephone lines to support people of all ages. Public Health England and Health Education England have also developed advice and guidance for parents and professionals on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing.The department has signposted resources on supporting and promoting mental wellbeing among the list of resources to help children to learn at home, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-online-education-resources.BBC Bitesize has also worked with the department to provide content with substantial focus on mental health, wellbeing and pastoral care.The return to school will, in itself, be part of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, as attendance at school allows social interaction with peers, carers and teachers, which benefits wellbeing. We have now given secondary schools the flexibility to have a face-to-face ‘check-up’ with all pupils during the summer term, which will ensure more children and young people are able to achieve this benefit. Pupil wellbeing is an important consideration within our guidance on actions for educational and childcare settings as they begin to open in June 2020, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020.The planning guide for primaries provides more information on supporting the mental wellbeing of pupils as they return to school: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-primary-schools#managing-pupil-and-staff-wellbeing-and-mental-health.

Free School Meals: Folkestone and Hythe

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in the Folkestone and Hythe local authority area are in receipt of school food vouchers; and what the cost to the public purse is per month of providing that scheme in that area.

Vicky Ford: During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals at home by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. Schools have continued to receive all their funding for benefits-related and universal infant free school meals. However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate arrangements for eligible pupils, and this can include food parcel arrangements, alternative voucher arrangements or provision through the national voucher scheme.Edenred has reported that over £154 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the national voucher scheme as of Monday 15 June. Edenred has also reported that over 17,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme as of Tuesday 26 May. We do not collect data on the scheme at pupil level.The number and proportion of students who qualify for free school meals is published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication and its underlying data files. We do not collect data at constituency level.The 2019 publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2019.

Pupil Exclusions: Ethnic Groups

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were excluded in each local authority in each year since 2010 by ethnicity.

Nick Gibb: The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2017 to 2018’ includes information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed period exclusions.The release is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2017-to-2018.The underlying data includes information on exclusions by local authority. The data can be filtered to show local authority, year and school type. There is also a metadata file in the same area that gives details of the data files.

British National (Overseas): Students

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether British national (overseas) status holders and their dependants will be subject to (a) international or (b) home student fees for higher education if they study in the UK.

Michelle Donelan: To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. This includes persons who are covered by EU law, have long residence in this country or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK.Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, British Nationals (Overseas) status holders will be able to qualify for home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK. The same applies to the dependents of such persons.Higher Education Providers have discretion to charge a student who is not eligible for home fee status whatever fee they deem appropriate, including the same fee as they charge students who have home fee status.

Schools: Sports

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to make an announcement on Schools Sport Premium funding for 2020-21.

Nick Gibb: The Government will confirm arrangements for the PE and Sport Premium in the 2020/21 academic year as soon as possible.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service document entitled, COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, published on 2 June 2020, what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of personal protective equipment for (a) representatives of monitoring bodies and (b) members of voluntary and community sector organisations visiting prisons as part of  those organisation's work.

Lucy Frazer: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is committed to maintaining social distancing to protect staff and prisoners from COVID-19.Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used in line with public health advice to mitigate risk where there is a need for sustained, essential and unavoidable contact.All visitors to prisons, including representatives of monitoring boards and volunteer organisations, are expected to follow the latest public health guidelines for those situations.We are making continued preparations and keeping demand for PPE under regular review as we move into the next phase of managing the outbreak.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will amend the document entitled, COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, published on 2 June 2020 to include an undertaking to consult with (a) prisoners and (b) other stakeholders on the content of Extraordinary Delivery Models.

Lucy Frazer: We have no plans to amend the COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services published on 2 June 2020.Exceptional Delivery Models (EDMS) are currently being developed taking account of a wide range of consultees including recognised trade unions, staff, external partners and public health colleagues. We will encourage governors and directors of prisons to engage with their offender populations when using the EDMs to create their recovery regime management plans.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the document entitled COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, published on 2 June 2020, if he will publish the (a) the Regime Stage, (b) rates of deaths, hospitalisations and infections in custody, (c) prison capacity and receipts, (d) staffing levels, (e) an assessment of the ability to test symptomatic staff, symptomatic prisoners, and all prisoners on reception and transfer and (f) sufficiency of personal protective equipment to meet future demand for each prison on a weekly basis.

Lucy Frazer: At present some of this information is only available as internal management information but we are considering how we report publicly on progress in the implementation of the National Framework, using suitably quality assured data and information.Currently, prison population figures are published weekly: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2020Additionally, prison population, receptions and releases are published within our Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly;We also publish deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody within our quarterly Safety in Custody statistics bulletin: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics;Prison staffing levels are published in our quarterly HMPPS Workforce Statistics bulletin: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the document entitled, COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, published on 2 June 2020, if he will publish recovery frameworks for (a) women’s prisons and (b) the youth custody estate.

Lucy Frazer: The COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services covers the whole prison estate, including both the women’s and the youth custody estate, where tailored Exceptional Delivery Models (EDMs) are currently being developed. It is our intention to publish EDMs in due course and when they have all been completed.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons have reported inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak.

Lucy Frazer: The supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required by the prison service is kept under regular review by the department, making sure that there is sufficient stock to be responsive to changing local contexts. There is currently adequate stock and forward supply of PPE, in accordance with public health advice.We have stock in the hundreds of thousands for aprons, coveralls, eye protection, pairs of gloves, respirator masks and fluid-resistant surgical masks, as well as hand sanitiser. However, we are making continued preparations and keeping demand for PPE under regular review as we move into the next phase of managing this outbreak.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women in prison have (a) been identified as eligible for release on a Special Purpose Licence under compassionate Release on Temporary Licence provisions, (b) made applications for release on a Special Purpose Licence and (c) been refused release on a Special Purpose Licence since 31 March 2020.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women in prison have (a) been identified as eligible for release under the End of Custody Temporary release scheme, (b) applied for release under that scheme and (c) had applications for release under that scheme refused since 31 March 2020.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women prisoners eligible for release under the special purpose licence or end of custody release schemes have been denied release as a result of lack of places in approved premises since 31 March 2020.

Lucy Frazer: The early release schemes were introduced as one element of a package of measures to create headroom to help contain the spread of the virus in prisons, alongside the creation of temporary accommodation and expediting of remand cases. This has enabled us to compartmentalise prisons to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. These measures have helped to contain the spread of the virus and limit deaths significantly, compared to initial estimates.To be eligible, women had to be serving prisoners who were not subject to recall who should only be released if they do not present a level of risk of harm, reoffending, failure to return or other significant challenge that cannot reasonably be managed in the community.As of 12 June, the overall number of women prisoners who were eligible under the Special Purpose Licence scheme (SPL) and wanted to be considered was 44, of which 23 have been released so far. The relevant processes are live and underway, with Governors/Directors considering eligible women for temporary release on a rolling basis, and releases taking place as soon as it is safe to do so once suitable accommodation and healthcare pathways have been identified.The number of women in custody who asked to be considered for the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme (ECTR) is 236, from which there have been 6 releases so far, as of 12 June. Risk and suitability are assessed after application to determine who is eligible; this involves assessments by the prison establishment, probation and police colleagues. All those deemed as suitable for ECTR release following these checks are released within a week, unless there is no appropriate accommodation available, or if they decide they no longer wish to proceed with their application. In some cases, it may be possible that they are released via the Home Detention Curfew scheme or on their conditional or automatic release date, prior to the ECTR process concluding.For those women released under SPL who are pregnant or had their babies with them in custody, Approved Premises would not be an appropriate release plan, as the Approved Premises estate cannot accommodate children. Data is not held on the number of women considered under ECTR, and who have been unable to be released due to a lack of an Approved Premises place.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the transition from court-based oral hearings to remote telephone and paper hearings for social security appeals.

Chris Philp: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is working hard to keep our justice system functioning during this unprecedented public health emergency. We are focusing on priority cases, changing working practices and introducing new procedures to minimise risks to the judiciary, staff and all those who use our courts and tribunals.This has included, in line with government guidance, replacing face to face hearings in the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) with telephone hearings and the use of other remote hearing technology to facilitate as many hearings as possible being held remotely. All parties to the hearings are being contacted directly to confirm new hearing arrangements.In addition to holding remote hearings in all regions, appeals may also be decided by judges sitting alone in chambers, using the evidence before them in the case papers.During the coronavirus outbreak HMCTS is publishing additional management information used for understanding the impact on workload volumes and activity across the court and tribunal system, which includes SSCS workload and hearings. The latest information, published on 11 June, is available using the following link:www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/hmcts-management-information-april-2020.The latest advice and guidance from the government and judiciary in relation to tribunal hearings during the coronavirus pandemic is updated regularly and can be viewed using the following links:www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-courts-and-tribunals-planning-and-preparation andwww.judiciary.uk/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-and-guidance.

Prisons: Video Conferencing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the announcement on 15 May 2020 to introduce video calling in the absence of family visits to prisons, when his Department plans to roll out video calling to the remainder of prisons in England and Wales.

Lucy Frazer: We have introduced temporary emergency video calling in recognition of the importance of maintaining family contact while social visits have been temporarily suspended in prisons in England and Wales. We have published information regarding the provision of video calls on GOV.UK and made clear we will continue to expand secure video calling to more establishments during this time. Details of which prisons are operating live services for families and friends can be accessed via the following link;https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visit-a-prisoner-using-a-video-call  At the appropriate time, we will consider future options for video calling beyond Covid-19 restrictions.

Prisons: Self-harm and Suicide

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of instances in prisons of (a) self-harm and (b) suicide by (i) region, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) gender for each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: Please see the attached tables showing the number of instances of (a) self-harm and (b) self-inflicted deaths in prisons by (i) region, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) gender for each of the last five years. Our condolences are with the family and friends of the prisoners who have died.The figures on self-harm have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level. The figures on self-inflicted deaths are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. As classification of deaths may change following inquest or as new information emerges, numbers may change from time to time.Far too many prisoners are self-harming or taking their own lives and it is one of the reasons we introduced the key worker scheme in 2018, supported by the recruitment of extra prison officers, so that every offender can get dedicated support and have someone to talk to.We have also given over 25,000 staff better training to spot and prevent self-harm and are investing an extra £2.75 billion to modernise prisons, combat drug use and improve the environment in which offenders live.As well as this, we have refreshed our partnership with the Samaritans, awarding a grant of £500k each year for the next three years. This supports the excellent Listeners scheme, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.78 KB)

Judiciary and Prisons

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) judges, (b) magistrates, (c) prison officers, (d) probation officers and (e) prison governors employed in 2020 and for each of the last five years broken down by (i) ethnicity and (ii) gender.

Chris Philp: Following the recommendations of the Lammy Review, we have appointed a Senior BAME Staff Recruitment and Progression Lead to the MoJ Resourcing Team working closely with four BAME Progression Leads in HMPPS.We have implemented improvements to our recruitment processes to reduce time and cost to hire, increase the diversity of new recruits and ensure we attract the right people with the right skills.The number of court and tribunal judges and magistrates as at 1 April in the five years from 2015 to 2019 is shown in the tables, based on data held by Judicial Office. Data for April 2020 is scheduled for publication in September 2020.Table 1a: Court judges in England and Wales1 by gender and ethnicity2, as at 1 April 2015 to 2019  1 April 20151 April 20161 April 20171 April 20181 April 2019Gender  Female8178828908751013 Male2,4212,3202,2442,1032,197Ethnicity  All BAME groups159174173171205 Of which  Asian or Asian British71797878100 Black or Black British2626282830 Other ethnic group2728282426 Mixed Ethnic Groups3541394149 White2,5272,5062,4382,3382,564 Unknown552522523469441Total3,2383,2023,1342,9783,210 Table 1b: Tribunal judges in England and Wales1 by gender and ethnicity2, as at 1 April 2015 to 2019  1 April 20151 April 20161 April 20171 April 20181 April 2019Gender  Female878846806775861 Male1,1261,048980928993Ethnicity  All BAME groups177177168167192 Of which  Asian or Asian British7677757596 Black or Black British3334323131 Other ethnic group4137333330 Mixed Ethnic Groups2729282835 White1,6911,5801,4851,4041,530 Unknown136137133132132Total2,0041,8941,7861,7031,854 Table 2: Serving magistrates in England and Wales1 by gender and ethnicity2, as at 1 April 2015 to 2019  1 April 20151 April 20161 April 20171 April 20181 April 2019Gender  Female10,4139,2998,7128,2208,019 Male9,2218,2537,4176,7836,329Ethnicity  All BAME groups1,8281,7231,6861,6551,653 Of which  Asian or Asian British959820889874868 Black or Black British591507548533536 Other ethnic group142319120119115 Mixed Ethnic Groups13677129129134 White17,80315,66213,95812,72611,823 Unknown0167485622872Total19,63417,55216,12915,00314,348 Notes to tables 1-2Figures relate to primary appointments i.e. each individual is counted once, and not for each appointment heldEthnicity is a non-mandatory fields collected by self-declaration at point of entry, and is not always declaredSource: Judicial Office e-HR system The number of prison officers, probation officers and prison governors employed in HMPPS as at 31 March 2015 to 2020 are provided in the following tables. Table 3: Band 3-5 prison officers1 in post by gender and ethnicity2, as at 31 March 2015 to 2020  31 March 201531 March 201631 March 201731 March 201831 March 201931 March 2020Gender   Female4,5534,7164,8975,8366,4956,487 Male14,40514,37314,27715,98516,96316,314Ethnicity   All BAME groups9279239288421,1381,431 Of which   Asian or Asian British206206204182262338 Black or Black British401396410387505628 Other ethnic group199213214190275363 Mixed Ethnic Groups1211081008396102 White16,18015,52514,99213,66115,26717,059 Not Known / Prefer not to say1,8512,6413,2547,3187,0534,311Total18,95819,08919,17421,82123,45822,801 Table 4: Band 4 probation officers in post by gender and ethnicity2, as at 31 March 2015 to 2020  31 March 201531 March 201631 March 201731 March 201831 March 201931 March 2020Gender   Female2,5802,6512,9512,8362,8022,907 Male928936964893847836Ethnicity   All BAME groups71145234251375429 Of which   Asian or Asian British23528586118133 Black or Black British27558597162191 Other ethnic group~3456608494 Mixed Ethnic Groups~4881111 White6831,3621,9361,8962,4212,762 Not Known / Prefer not to say2,7542,0801,7451,582853552Total3,5083,5873,9153,7293,6493,743 Table 5: Band 10-11 Governing Governors3 in post by gender and ethnicity2, as at 31 March 2015 to 2020  31 March 201531 March 201631 March 201731 March 201831 March 201931 March 2020Gender   Female302632323033 Male707166685864Ethnicity   All BAME groups7910111213 Of which   Asian or Asian British~~~~~~ Black or Black British~~~~~~ Other ethnic group467899 Mixed Ethnic Groups~~~~~~ White898483847277 Not Known / Prefer not to say445547Total10097981008897 Notes to tables 3-51. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.2. All staff have gender assigned but ethnicity is a self-declared field and is optional to complete.3. Includes Governing Governors working in prison establishments and excludes those based in HQ. Figures do not include deputy governors or those acting up as a Governing Governor on a temporary promotion basis.~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.

Courts: Brentford

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many individual legal professionals participated in the pilot of flexible operating hours in civil and family courts in Brentford.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many individual legal professionals participated in the pilot of flexible operating hours in civil and family courts in Manchester.

Chris Philp: HMCTS has appointed a consortium of IFF Research and Frontier Economics to carry out an independent evaluation of the Flexible Operating Hours pilots. The evaluation is being conducted as set out in the evaluation plan, published July 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexible-operating-hours-evaluation-plan-and-summary. Data has been collected on the number of cases heard in Flexible Operating Hours sessions rather than on numbers of participants. Data on the number of legal professionals who participated in the pilots in Brentford and Manchester will be included in the independent evaluation report.

Royal Commission On Criminal Justice

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his timescale is for announcing the (a) Chair and (b)  terms of reference of the proposed Royal Commission on Criminal Justice announced in the Queen's Speech of December 2019.

Kit Malthouse: The Royal Commission is an important opportunity to address some of the key issues affecting the criminal justice system.As we emerge from this unprecedented pandemic, we are carefully addressing the scope, terms of reference and membership of the Commission. In doing so we intend to embrace the lessons we can learn from the present crisis with Covid-19 to help make the system more resilient.As this work develops, further announcements will be made in due course.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison staff (a) in administrative grades and (b) employed as instructional officers have received (i) a financial incentive or (ii) extra pay since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, by grade; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: We are making special payments to our hardworking prison staff who continue to go above and beyond the call of duty during these exceptional times.As at 31st May 2020, 1,843 (33%) of administrative staff and 1,032 (79%) of Instructional Officers working in prisons have received a financial incentive and extra pay.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women serving sentences of one year or less have been recalled to prison since 31 March 2020; and, of those, how many have been recalled for failure to comply with licence provisions only.

Lucy Frazer: Public protection is our priority. Offenders on licence are subject to strict licence conditions and supervision. When an offender breaches a condition of their licence, their probation officer will undertake a thorough risk assessment to determine whether it is necessary, for the protection of the public, to recall that offender to prison.The requested data are not available at this time. Licence recalls data covering April – June 2020 are planned for publication in October 2020.

Treasury

Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Barristers

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the outcomes were of his discussions with the leaders of the Bar and the Bar Council on extending the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to members of the Bar.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to members of the Bar who require payments to maintain practice but who are excluded from the support by the three year average earnings rule.

Jesse Norman: The Government recognises the importance of the work of the legal professions in enabling access to justice across the country, and HM Treasury has worked closely with the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency to understand and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) helps those adversely affected by COVID-19 and is one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world. Self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, are eligible if they have submitted their Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, continued to trade, and have been adversely affected by COVID-19. To qualify, their self-employed trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extension or changes to the SEISS. However, other support is available and the SEISS continues to be one element of a comprehensive package of Government support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.

Small Business Grants Fund

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps small business owners should take whose insurers are deducting the £10,000 Coronavirus Small Business Grant from insurance payouts indicating that businesses have already been compensated by the Government.

John Glen: The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector regarding their contribution to the handling of this unprecedented situation. The Government is also working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that the rules are being upheld during this crisis. The FCA rules require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly; provide reasonable guidance to help a policyholder make a claim; not reject a claim unreasonably; and settle claims promptly once settlement terms are agreed. In addition, the FCA has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them. Customers who feel that they have not been treated fairly should first make a formal complaint to their insurer. If they then feel that their complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily, they are able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), an independent body set up to provide arbitration in such cases. The FOS can help micro-enterprises with annual turnover sheets that do not exceed €2 million, and small businesses with turnover that does not exceed £6.5 million. The decision of the FOS is binding on insurers up to £350,000. If customers would like to make a general complaint about the practice of deducting small business grants from the value of insurance settlements, the FCA would be happy to hear from them through their consumer support service. While the FCA can’t resolve individual disputes and will not normally be able to discuss their investigations or findings with the person making the complaint, they can take any information provided into account as a part of their wider monitoring of practices in the sector.

Treasury: Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last met with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss Official Development Assistance spending.

Steve Barclay: Treasury Ministers meet regularly with Ministerial colleagues and officials across Government to discuss a variety of issues including Official Development Assistance.

Tourism: Coronavirus

Jamie Stone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) he and (b) his Ministers have had with Fergus Ewing MSP, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, on arranging a 12-month financial support package for the tourism industry in response to the covid-19 outbreak; and what the outcomes of those discussions were.

Kemi Badenoch: Treasury Ministers and officials are in frequent discussion with the devolved administrations and meet with a wide range of stakeholders across sectors in all parts of the UK as part of ongoing policy development and implementation. The UK Government will continue to work closely with the devolved administrations and is also working with employers, delivery partners and industry groups to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on sectors like tourism. The Treasury will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors.

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Simon Baynes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting people who have been self-employed for less than a year, and are therefore ineligible for Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, by reducing the level of income tax due on their earnings during that first year.

Jesse Norman: The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) continues to be one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world as the economy reopens. It has not been possible to include those who began trading after the 2018-19 tax year in the scheme. This was a very difficult decision and it was taken for practical reasons. However, the newly self-employed may still be eligible for the other elements of the Government’s unprecedented package of financial support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.

Insolvency: Coronavirus

Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support the Government is providing for (a) businesses going into administration as a result of the covid-19 outbreak and (b) staff whose jobs are threatened such administration.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what emergency support the Government is providing for retail sector organisations at risk of entering in to administration as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. Businesses, including those in the retail sector, experiencing economic difficulties continue to have access to a range of support measures including, but not limited to: A 12-month business rates holiday for all eligible retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in EnglandSmall business grant funding (SBGF) of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate reliefThe retail, hospitality and leisure grant fund (RHLGF)A Discretionary Grant Fund for Local Authorities in EnglandThe Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)The Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS)The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprisesVAT deferral for up to 12 monthsThe Time To Pay scheme, through which businesses in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, can receive support with their tax affairsProtection for commercial leaseholders against automatic forfeiture for non-payment until June 30, 2020 – with an option for the Government to extend if needed. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder. The Government has also introduced the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill which is currently passing through the House. This bill will provide businesses with the flexibility and breathing space they need to continue trading during this difficult time. The measures are designed to help UK companies and other similar entities by easing the burden on businesses and helping them avoid insolvency during this period of economic uncertainty.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Ferries

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the financial effect of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on seasonal workers contracted by ferry companies prior to the covid-19 outbreak who are no longer needed.

Kemi Badenoch: As of 11th June, 303,300 transport workers have been furloughed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), with a total of £736 million claimed. Official statistics on the CJRS are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/891249/Coronavirus_Job_Retention_Scheme_Statistics_June_2020.pdf. From 1 July, employers can bring back to work employees that have been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim for the hours not worked. Employers will need to agree any flexible furlough arrangements with employees. Ferry companies may also benefit from a range of other schemes. The Business Support website provides further information about the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.

Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Dunfermline and West Fife

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have applied to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency.

Jesse Norman: As of 31 May 2020, 2,600 individuals had applied for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency.

VAT: Dunfermline and West Fife

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency have applied for VAT deferrals during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost. HMRC have published some data relating to the schemes that they are running to support the economy during the coronavirus pandemic at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-coronavirus-covid-19-statistics.

Warehouses: Non-domestic Rates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to extend Business Rates Relief to businesses in the warehousing industry.

Kemi Badenoch: The Business Rates Relief has been directed towards the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors as these are properties that are wholly or mainly being used by visiting members of the public. However, businesses outside of these sectors, like the warehousing industry, continue to have access to a range of government support measures including, but not limited to: Small business grant funding (SBGF) of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate reliefA Discretionary Grant Fund in EnglandThe Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprisesVAT deferral for up to 12 monthsProtection for commercial leaseholders against automatic forfeiture for non-payment until June 30, 2020 – with an option for the Government to extend if needed. Support for businesses, including the warehousing sector, remains under constant review. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.

Tourism: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a copy of his response to the letter dated 5 June signed by over five hundred coach operators on the classification of the coach travel industry as leisure businesses for the purposes of covid-19 support; and if he will make a statement.

Kemi Badenoch: The Treasury is considering the letter from the coach travel industry and will reply as soon as possible. The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. Coach companies, along with other businesses, may benefit from a range of support measures including:The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)The Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS)The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)The Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS)The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprisesA Discretionary Grant Fund for Local Authorities in England to make grants payments of up to £25,000 to businesses excluded from the existing grants schemesVAT deferral for up to 12 monthsThe Time To Pay scheme, through which businesses in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, can receive support with their tax affairsProtection for commercial leaseholders against automatic forfeiture for non-payment until June 30, 2020 – with an option for the Government to extend if required The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder. The Government has also provided enhanced support through business rates relief to businesses occupying properties used for retail, hospitality and leisure given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. It is for local authorities to determine eligibility for reliefs, having regard to guidance issued by the Government.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Public Sector

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to fee earner public sector employees who work under frozen PAYE contracts.

Jesse Norman: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) seeks to protect jobs and businesses across the economy, in both the private and public sectors. All employers with a PAYE scheme, including in the public sector, can apply for the CJRS directly through HMRC, subject to eligibility. In line with the rest of the economy, a public sector employer can only claim for employees that were on PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020 and which were notified to HMRC on a Real Time Information submission on or before 19 March 2020. It should be noted that the CJRS will close to new entrants from 30 June. From this point onwards, employers will only be able to furlough employees that they have furloughed for a full three-week furlough period prior to 30 June. Where organisations receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding continues uninterrupted, the Government expects employers to pay staff as usual and correspondingly not to furlough them. It may be appropriate for organisations that are not fully funded by public grants to furlough staff in certain circumstances, including when the organisation has experienced economic disruption due to COVID-19. Any claim through the CJRS should be proportionate to the reduction in revenue. The Government continues to monitor developments and to engage with affected sectors, with the aim of ensuring that the support provided is right for these sectors and for the whole economy.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on earlier than usual budget allocations to local authorities to help with budget planning following the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Simon Clarke: Given the varying impacts of the pandemic, the Secretary of State and I both meet our counterparts at the Treasury to discuss a range of issues affecting local government. Councils are at the front line as we tackle this pandemic, and it is important that we carefully monitor the pressures they are facing.We have now made £3.2 billion available to local authorities through an un-ringfenced grant so they can address pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The package recognises the additional costs and pressures on finances councils are facing as a result of the current crisis. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making sure councils have the resources they need to support their communities through this challenging time.In total, the Government has committed over £27 billion to local areas to support councils and their communities. This also includes: £300 million to support the new test and trace service, £600 million to support providers through a new Infection Control Fund and £12.3 billion of support through the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Grants.The Spending Review, later this year, will be the opportunity to look at funding for local government in the round, and we will communicate our plans for 2021-22 as early as we can through the provisional local government finance settlement. We will continue to engage councils on our approach to the next financial year.

Local Government Finance: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing funding to local authorities in the next financial year and (b) distributing that funding on the basis of (i) population size and (ii) local adult social care costs.

Mr Simon Clarke: Decisions about how to distribute funding to local authorities for the 2021-22 financial year have not been made yet. This year’s Spending Review will be an opportunity to look at funding for local authorities in the round. The Government will consider all representations about how funding should be distributed, and will consult on proposals before implementation.

Local Government Finance: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will allow local authorities greater flexibility in the use of financial receipts over future years in order to address monetary demands following the covid-19 outbreak.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing local authority greater autonomy on freedom to borrow for revenue funding as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Simon Clarke: We are committed to ensuring that councils are managing as the pandemic progresses. The Government has backed councils with £3.2 billion of extra funding, as part of a wider £27 billion support package for communities, to ensure they can meet the unique pressures that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed upon them, both in terms of expenditure pressures and their income.   In addition, we have also taken a number of measures to support immediate cash flow concerns, namely deferring £2.6 billion in local authority payments of the Central Share of retained business rates and making an upfront payment of £850 million in social care grants. Central Share payments due to government in April, May and June will instead be spread over the second half of the year. The restrictions on the use of capital resources ensure that such resources are available for long-term investment.

Industrial Health and Safety: Coronavirus

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) business, (b) building and (c) individual risk assessments his Department has undertaken with regard to staff who are deemed to be carrying out essential work that requires them to attend an office.

Luke Hall: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



The Department is undertaking a risk assessment to support the return of MHCLG staff to offices in line with BEIS guidance for people who work in or run offices, contact centres and similar indoor environments published on 11 May.

Rented Housing: Students

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with student accommodation providers to prevent students with tenancies having to pay for properties they cannot reside in safely during the covid-19 outbreak.

Christopher Pincher: If students have already signed an accommodation contract for next year and, because of the COVID-19 outbreak, think it may no longer fit their requirements, they should talk directly to their accommodation provider.During these unprecedented times, the Government encourages student accommodation providers, landlords, letting agencies and tenants to take a pragmatic, flexible approach and have a frank and open conversation at the earliest opportunity, to allow both parties to agree a sensible way forward.In cases where students do not wish to move into the accommodation, they are able to end or surrender their fixed term tenancy if they reach an agreement with their landlord. Where students have a joint tenancy agreement, all tenants will need to agree to the surrender as well as the landlord.In very limited situations where a student has been legally prevented from living in their accommodation, they may be entitled to a refund from certain accommodation providers. This is dependent on the terms of their contract and their particular circumstances. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance on consumer contracts, cancellation and refunds affected by the coronavirus. This sets out the CMA’s view on how the law operates to help consumers understand their rights and help businesses treat their customers fairly. If students need help, organisations such as Citizens Advice offer a free service, providing information and support.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Coronavirus

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that officials in his Department with underlying conditions that may make them vulnerable to covid-19 are identified; and if he will publish the processes his Department used to identify those officials.

Luke Hall: My Department has co-ordinated a number of staff surveys as part of its COVID-19 response with some questions designed to identify those officials with underlying conditions who might be more vulnerable to COVID-19. A survey in April sought to understand the number of officials in the Department that personally identified as part of a vulnerable group. Responses were retained centrally for analysis and records purposes.A follow-up survey was conducted during May in which staff were asked to tell us about any vulnerabilities that might prevent them from returning to the office at the present time. The Department’s absence records and monitoring procedures allow staff to record special paid leave which has been taken due to personal vulnerabilities to COVID-19. This information is being used to direct our response to COVID-19 and support staff and their managers.

Peat

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what protection each of clauses 204(a) and 205(d) of the National Planning Policy Framework provide against (a) housing, (b) commercial and (c) public infrastructure development on peat moss.

Christopher Pincher: National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) paragraphs 204(a) and 205(d) relate to the extraction of peat. The Framework makes clear that new sites or extensions to existing sites for peat extraction should not be planned for or permitted by Mineral Planning Authorities. The Framework includes strong policies to conserve and enhance the natural environment. The NPPF expects planning authorities to protect and enhance biodiversity and geodiversity in their plans and, when determining planning applications, not to grant planning permission for development that would result in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as peat land) unless there were wholly exceptional circumstances (Paragraphs 174 & 175(c)).

Street Wardens

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Re-opening High Streets Safely Fund Guidance, issued on 24 May 2020 made the provision for local authorities to employ street wardens to support the safe re-opening of high streets when the first bulletin, issued on 5 June 2020 suggested that street wardens would not be funded through that scheme.

Mr Simon Clarke: Our £50 million Re-opening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) will provide councils with additional funding to support their business communities with measures that enable safe trading in public places. We have provided guidance for local authorities on the activities that can be funded through RHSSF. This includes the provision of Information Officers to deliver business-facing awareness activity, as set out in strand three of eligible activity in the fund guidance. The RHSSF is not intended to fund all of the interventions listed in the Safer Public Spaces guidance, published in May, which included the option of street stewards to help manage pedestrian flows.

Street Wardens

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities will be reimbursed through the Re-opening High Street Safely Fund for the costs of street wardens.

Mr Simon Clarke: Our £50 million Re-opening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) will support a range of practical safety measures to help businesses trade safely on our high streets. Whilst street wardens cannot be funded through this stream of funding, Local authorities may wish to fund Information Officers to deliver business-facing awareness activity, as set out in strand three of eligible activity in the fund guidance. Signage, street markings and temporary barriers are also in scope of funding. The RHSSF will provide the tools to help towns and cities develop safe trading environments, particularly in high streets, and will be key to kick starting the economy, getting people back to work, businesses trading and helping to reinvigorate communities.Further information on the RHSS Funding Agreement and claims process will be made available in due course.

Housing: Databases

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data his Department collates  disaggregated by ethnicity on the proportion of adults who live in homes which are classified as (a) owner occupied, (b) private rented and (c) social housing.

Christopher Pincher: MHCLG collates and publishes statistics on tenure by ethnicity in the annual English Housing Survey headline report: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2018-to-2019-headline-report (see Annex Table 1.3).   The Department also contributes data on tenure and ethnicity to the Race Disparity Audit which is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/housing

Public Lavatories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to reopen public toilets.

Mr Simon Clarke: We strongly encourage public toilets to be open wherever possible. We’ve published guidance to help operators ensure facilities are safe where they are open including increasing cleaning of touch pointsThe Government has published guidance on safer public spaces. It includes advice, information and examples of the potential interventions that can be used in public places to facilitate social distancing in areas of higher footfall such as in parks (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safer-public-places-urban-centres-and-green-spaces-covid-19). Owners and operators are advised to implement cleaning protocols to limit coronavirus transmission in public places. It is advised that touch points (e.g. handrails and gates) should be particular areas of focus for increased cleaning.We have now made £3.2 billion available to local authorities through an unringfenced grant so they can address pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The package recognises the additional costs and pressures on finances councils are facing as a result of the current crisis. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making sure councils, including upper and lower tier authorities, have the resources they need to support their communities through this challenging time. Local authorities are best placed to understand how to meet the major COVID-19 service pressures and spending needs in their local area.

Private Rented Housing: Students

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what financial support is in place for private landlords that have contracts with students and are now experiencing loss of income.

Christopher Pincher: The Government has published guidance for landlords and tenants who may be affected by current events, which is available on the GOV.uk website. This guidance makes clear that tenants should continue to pay rent and abide by all other terms in their tenancy agreement to the best of their ability, and that rent levels agreed in the tenancy agreement remain legally due. The Government encourages landlords to take a pragmatic, flexible approach and have a frank and open conversation with their tenants at the earliest opportunity, to allow both parties to agree a sensible way forward.We understand that some students are facing financial difficulties as a result of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Students will have received scheduled payments of loans towards their living costs for the remainder of the 2019/20 academic year, and we understand that many universities maintain hardship funds, which can be used where necessary. The process for issuing loans for the next academic year, 2020/2021, will proceed as normal.To support landlords who are experiencing a temporary loss of income, mortgage lenders have agreed to offer payment holidays of up to three months where this is needed due to coronavirus-related hardship, including for buy-to-let mortgages. On 2 June, the Financial Conduct Authority confirmed that borrowers can apply for an extension to any holiday already taken while extending the window for new applications to 31 October. Landlords should contact their lender at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss if the payment holiday is a suitable option for them.We have also amended the coronavirus regulations to make clear that people who wish to move home can do so. Landlords can now advertise and let properties where they are empty, or the current tenants have agreed to move. Landlords are also encouraged to contact their local authority homelessness departments or private rented sector procurement team who can discuss renting their property to a homeless household which may guarantee an income during this time.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many properties are clad in (a) aluminium composite material (ACM) flammable and (b) non-ACM flammable cladding systems; what the deadline is for removal of ACM flammable cladding systems from affected properties; if he will publish his timetable for action; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, by what date all flammable cladding will have been removed from residential blocks.

Christopher Pincher: The Department publishes data on the number of high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet building regulations. The latest data is available here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-may-2020 . The Department also estimates there to be 1,700 residential buildings over 18 metres in height with potentially unsafe non-ACM cladding. This is a working estimate produced by MHCLG officials to help with development of the Building Safety Fund.   For the removal of unsafe ACM cladding, it is our ambition that all building owners have works on site by the end of 2020, with completion of remedial works by the end of 2021.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many former residents of Grenfell tower have not yet been permanently rehoused; and if he will undertake an assessment of the adequacy of support for people and families affected by the fire.

Christopher Pincher: According to the latest data from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, as of 11 June 2020, of the 201 households from Grenfell Tower and Walk that require rehousing, 194 households have moved into permanent accommodation. Of the 7 households who have not yet moved into a permanent home, they have either accepted a permanent home or have a suitable permanent home reserved for them that meets the Council’s assessment of their housing need.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Ministers' Private Offices

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the attendance of additional private office staff in his Department's office at 2 Marsham Street was (a) required from the beginning of June 2020 and (b) not required from 21 April 2020 when hybrid proceedings began in the House of Commons.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date his Department decided that additional private office staff would need to attend his Department's office at 2 Marsham Street in person to undertake work in connection with the return to physical voting in the House of Commons.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date his Department's human resources team was informed that additional private office staff may be required to attend his Department's office at 2 Marsham Street in person to undertake work.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date his Department's estates team was informed that additional private office staff may be required to attend his Department's office at 2 Marsham Street in person to undertake work.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance on covid-19 social distancing measures his Department complied with when deciding on the steps to take prior to asking staff who have been working at home during the covid-19 outbreak to return to work in the office.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what risk assessments his Department undertook prior to the decision that additional private office staff may return to work in his Department's office at 2 Marsham Street in connection with the return to physical voting in the House of Commons; and if he will publish those risk assessments on his Department's website, redacted to protect personal data.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the reasons given to his Department's (a) people, capability and change team and (b) estates team for requiring additional private office staff to work in his Department's office at 2 Marsham Street in connection with physical voting in the House of Commons.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether instructions issued to his Department’s (a) people, capability and change team and (b) estates team on the requirement for additional private office staff to work in person in his Department’s office at 2 Marsham Street in connection with the return of physical voting in the House of Commons were subsequently changed.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what date his Department's (a) people, capability and change team and (b) estates team was given for the commencement of work by additional private office staff in his Department's office at 2 Marsham Street in connection with physical voting in the House of Commons.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether private office staff in his Department's (a) people capacity and change team and (b) estates team were provided with dates for their return to the workplace during the covid-19 outbreak.

Luke Hall: A small number of Private Office staff have been working out of 2 Marsham Street on some days of the week since 22 April in support of Ministers and their attendance at Parliament in line with Cabinet Office guidance for Private Offices and Parliamentary Clerks. These staff have volunteered to work out of 2 Marsham Street.Advice was communicated to these staff on social distancing measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the Ministerial team and Private Office staff.The Private Office team, the People, Capability and Change team and the Estates team have regularly discussed the need for the presence of Private Office staff as part of its business continuity preparations for COVID-19 and as it became clear that hybrid proceedings would potentially start in the House of Commons. These discussions have continued as the House of Commons operations have evolved to include physical voting. No instructions have been issued to the People, Capability and Change team nor to the Estates team on the return of Private Office staff as these decisions are taken by line managers as part of our business continuity arrangements.Line managers have discussed with Private Office staff the return to 2 Marsham Street to support Ministers as it became clear that proceedings would potentially start in the House of Commons. Return dates were agreed with staff and line managers as staffing requirements became clear.A risk assessment is being completed to support the return of MHCLG staff to offices in line with the BEIS guidance for people who work in or run offices, contact centres and similar indoor environments published on 11 May. For the time being the vast majority of MHCLG staff continue to work from home.

Landlords: Fees and Charges

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a £200 fee cap for landlords producing leasehold packs.

Luke Hall: The Government is clear that allowing freeholders and managing agents to continue to charge sellers what they like, and take as long as they like, to provide essential leasehold information is not acceptable. Setting a £200+VAT maximum charge and a 15 working day turn around time will speed up transactions.

Local Government Finance

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consultation he plans to undertake as part of his work to establish a comprehensive plan for financial sustainability for local authorities.

Mr Simon Clarke: The comprehensive plan that I spoke to the House about on Monday 15 June, is being developed and informed by ongoing discussions with local government and the department’s monthly financial monitoring exercise. Going forward, ministers and officials will continue to consult councillors, officials, and other stakeholders on the plan. Ministers will keep the House informed.

Reopening High Streets Safely Fund

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons local authorities are not permitted to fund (a) street wardens and (b) town ambassadors to support the reopening of high streets through the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund.

Mr Simon Clarke: Our £50 million Re-opening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) will provide councils with additional funding to support their business communities with measures that enable safe trading in public places. We have provided guidance for local authorities on the activities that can be funded through RHSSF. This includes the provision of Information Officers to deliver business-facing awareness activity, as set out in strand three of eligible activity in the fund guidance.The RHSSF is not intended to fund all of the interventions listed in the Safer Public Spaces guidance, published in May, which included the option of public-facing stewards and street ambassadors to help manage pedestrian flows. Such roles are not eligible for funding under the RHSSF as they are not aligned with the four areas of eligible activity set out in the Fund guidance.

Ministry of Defence

Cadets

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Community Cadet Forces centres have closed from 2015 to date.

James Heappey: From 2015 to date, 125 community cadet units within the United Kingdom have closed across all Ministry of Defence sponsored cadet forces. Units close for a variety of reasons including insufficient numbers of adult volunteers and health and safety issues relating to buildings used. In some cases, two separate units may close and merge to form a single, larger unit which can allow cadets to participate in a greater range of activities.During the same period, 64 new cadet units have opened in the community; there are approximately 3,000 such units in total.

Ministry of Defence: Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he last met with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss Official Development Assistance spending.

James Heappey: The Defence Secretary meets regularly with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss matters of mutual interest, including Official Development Assistance.

Veterans UK: Email

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2020 to Question 51724 on the Veterans UK Helpline, how many emails to the helpline were recorded in each month of 2020.

Johnny Mercer: The number of emails to the Veterans UK Helpline recorded for each month in 2020 were:  MonthJan 20Feb 20Mar 20Apr 20May 201 Jun to 15 Jun 20 Emails Received2,5772,0062,4193,9753,7812,087

Veterans UK: Telephone Services

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2020 to Question 51724 on the Veterans UK Helpline, how many (a) calls and (b) emails were recorded by the Veterans UK Helpline service in each month of 2019.

Johnny Mercer: The number of calls and e-mails received by the Veterans UK Helpline each month between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2019 is as follows: MonthCalls ReceivedEmails ReceivedJanuary 201913,2911,990February 201911,2842,382March 201911,2911,909April 201913,5221,933May 201911,6441,568June 201910,3081,919July 201911,8252,020August 201910,4011,840September 201910,6461,917October 201912,0912,206November 201911,0981,976December 20198,3021,728

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Surveys

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2020 to Question 45418, if she will publish the document that details the full set of questions as at quarter 3 of the survey year in 2018-19 used for the Claimant Experience Survey 2018-19.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



A copy of the produced Word document that details the full set of questions as at quarter 3 of the survey year in 2018/19 has been placed in the Library of both Houses for your information. Please note that:the questions asked have changed over time; andsome questions are only asked of a sub-sample of claimants and this is not reflected in this document.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants have been sanctioned since 1 March 2020.

Mims Davies: We took the decision to temporarily suspend for 3 months the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), old-style JSA and ESA, and Income Support. They will continue to receive benefits as normal and they will not be sanctioned for not taking part in appointments with Jobcentres. The number of Universal Credit claimants who have been sanctioned is published quarterly. The latest figures for Universal Credit sanction rates are up to February 2020 and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/statistics Additional breakdowns of the figures can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance for users is available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that information about social security benefits which is updated in response to the covid-19 outbreak is made available in an accessible format for blind and partially sighted people.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP has published guidance on GOV.UK which explains what help is available to support citizens during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. These guides are created in a way that supports accessibility for blind and partially sighted people through the most recent versions of accessibility software. Citizens can zoom in to see text, navigate using just a keyboard or by using speech recognition software. It is also possible to use a screen reader on the website.

Department for Work and Pensions: Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last met with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss Official Development Assistance spending.

Justin Tomlinson: The Secretary of State meets with her Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for International Development, on a regular basis.

Universal Credit

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to align the universal credit standard allowance for claimants under the age of 25 living independently with the standard allowance for those over the age of twenty five.

Will Quince: We have increased the Universal Credit standard allowance for all claimants (including those Under 25) by £20 per week for the next 12 months – equivalent to up to £1,040 a year. This is in addition to the 1.7% inflation increase (announced Nov 2019) as part of the Government’s decision to end the benefits freeze and means more financial support for millions of people across the UK. There are no plans to further increase the Universal Credit standard allowance for Under 25s.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Twycross Zoo: Coronavirus

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to support Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire during the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Prentis: We continue to engage regularly with some of the major zoos and aquariums, including Twycross Zoo, to identify the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on larger organisations.A number of schemes have been made available to businesses and charities that should help them during this emergency. Zoos are eligible to apply for the Job Retention Scheme, VAT deferral, Business Rates Relief, the Business Interruption Loan schemes, the option to reclaim the costs of Statutory Sick Pay and grant funding of up to £25,000.As announced by the Prime Minister on 10 June, outdoor areas of zoos and safari parks are now allowed to reopen, subject to appropriate social distancing measures being in place. Allowing zoos to reopen is an integral step towards supporting an early financial recovery.Consideration of proposals for any longer-term support that might be needed for the sector is ongoing. With the help and support of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums we are working diligently to find the best way forward.

Fisheries: Coronavirus

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the fishing industry of the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Prentis: The closure of export markets, and the domestic hospitality sector, has affected the fishing sector. This is evidenced in statistics published by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on fishing activity in April, the first full month of lockdown in the UK. These statistics show that landings by UK vessels in April 2020 were down by 35% compared to a year ago. The value of these landings was down more steeply by 54%. The MMO has published statistics for March and April. The MMO's ad hoc COVID-19 impact statistics will be published monthly, on the final Tuesday of the subsequent month, while the impact of the pandemic on fisheries continues to be acute.

Water: Regulation

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the 2019 National Infrastructure Commission call for evidence on the future of regulation, what steps he is taking to develop a long term strategy on the (a) running and (b) regulation of the water industry.

Rebecca Pow: Water is devolved however Ofwat is the economic regulator for England and Wales. At Budget 2020 the Government welcomed the NIC's report 'Strategic investment and public confidence' and agrees with its primary finding that the UK's system of economic regulation is working well, but it may need updating in some areas to address 21st century challenges. The Government will respond in full to the study in due course.Government and regulators continue to work with the industry to ensure a strategic approach to long term planning. Our Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat sets out our long-term priorities for the sector, and how we expect the water companies to deliver for consumers and the environment. The three priorities are:1) securing long-term resilience2) protecting customers3) making markets workThe current statement came into effect in 2017, and we are actively reviewing whether it remains fit for purpose.In England, the Environment Agency, Ofwat and regional groups of companies are working together building on the existing water resource management planning process ensuring the industry invests in the right water supply infrastructure at the right time to meet future challenges. Similarly, the new Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans will ensure a long-term approach to wastewater treatment and drainage infrastructure.Ofwat has published its future approach to regulation of the water sector in England and Wales, in its strategy, Time to Act Together, and established three strategic goals. These goals are to transform water companies' performance for customers, to meet long term challenges through partnership and collaboration and for companies to serve a wider public purpose by delivering more for customers, society and the environment.

Waste Management: Public Consultation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to consult on the Waste Prevention Programme for England.

Rebecca Pow: The Department has carried out a review of the existing Waste Prevention Programme which we plan to publish shortly. Over the past 12 months we have engaged with a range of stakeholders to develop initial proposals for a revised programme, but over the past few months this work has slowed down because of the immediate priorities of the Covid-19 response. We will communicate next steps in due course. In the meantime, the Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December 2018, sets out how we will preserve our stock of material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a more circular economy.

Veterinary Services: Cost Effectiveness

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2020 to Question 46205, on Veterinary Services: Cost Effectiveness, if he will make a value for money assessment of out-of-hours veterinary care.

Victoria Prentis: Defra has no plans to carry out a value for money assessment of out-of-hours veterinary care.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the criteria his Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department's share of the Official Development Assistance budget will be reduced in the event of a decrease in GNI.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is signing new funding agreements for projects funded by Official Development Assistance.

Rebecca Pow: To tackle the triple challenge of climate change, biodiversity and poverty alleviation, Defra ensures it takes evidence-based spending decisions and maintains high standards of programme delivery. Defra will remain focused on these three priorities in the event of an Official Development Assistance budget reduction. The UK has a legal commitment to spend 0.7% of its gross national income (GNI) each year on Official Development Assistance (ODA). Since this commitment is linked to the size of the economy, the level of ODA spend is likely to decrease this year. HM Treasury allocates ODA budgets to departments and will agree any changes to these. The Government reviews the ODA funding it allocates to projects on a regular basis in order to ensure delivery of its commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on ODA. In the short term, we have paused some new decisions while we agree our future work in close cooperation with other aid spending Departments.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing an independent body to protect racehorse welfare.

Victoria Prentis: More must be done to improve racehorse safety and welfare. Officials have been in regular dialogue with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), British racing's governing and regulatory body, about the safety and welfare of racehorses, and to understand what the industry is doing to reduce the number of fatalities. The Government welcomed the creation of the racing industry's Horse Welfare Board, which was formed in March 2019 and includes members from across the racing industry, veterinarians and animal health and welfare experts. The Board is committed to doing all it can to make the sport safer and we have welcomed the publication of the Board's five-year horse welfare strategy "A life well lived". The strategy contains 20 recommendations for the industry aimed at ensuring the best possible safety and quality of life for racehorses. Whilst the Government does not consider it would be appropriate at this stage to appoint an independent body for racehorse welfare, my officials remain in regular contact with the industry and the Horse Welfare Board. We will be monitoring closely how the industry responds to the Board's recommendations so that the welfare needs of racehorses are met both during and after their racing lives.

Inshore Fishing: Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timeframe is for a decision to be made on the Sussex Near Shore Trawling Byelaw proposal approved by the Sussex IFCA  to restrict trawling close to the Sussex shore.

Victoria Prentis: The Secretary of State has not yet received this byelaw, given that all non-emergency IFCA byelaws are subject to a quality assurance process, undertaken by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on behalf of Defra, prior to being sent to the Secretary of State for confirmation. The MMO aims to return comments to IFCAs within 45 working days of submission. In respect of the Sussex IFCA Nearshore Trawling Byelaw, the MMO deadline for quality assurance is 17 June to respond to Sussex IFCA. The Secretary of State will consider the Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw when the MMO’s quality assurance process is completed.

Firearms: Licensing

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the system for gun licences that comes into force on 1 August 2020 has the minimum level of bureaucracy for people seeking to (a) renew and (b) obtain a licence; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State has today announced that six general licences for the control of wild birds will be reissued on a temporary basis from 1 August to 31 December. New general licences will come into force on 1 January 2021. Defra is committed to achieving a general licensing regime for wild birds which is both robust and workable for users, ensuring that longer-term licensing arrangements are informed by the best available evidence. The review of general licences launched in June 2019 by the then Secretary of State has made significant progress. However, additional time is needed to thoroughly analyse scientific and practitioner evidence for which species can be controlled under the licences for which purposes, and to fully develop a general licensing solution for protected sites. No action is required by general licence users, beyond the ongoing requirement to act in accordance with the licence conditions. There is no application or renewal process involved.Defra intends to publish new licences in November to allow user groups to become acquainted with the changes before they officially come into force on 1 January.

Poultry: Imports

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the value was of imported chicken to the UK in 2019; and what the top five countries were for imported chicken to this country in that year.

Victoria Prentis: According to the latest HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics, UK imports of chicken in 2019 were worth £1.1 billion. The top five countries importing chicken into the UK in 2019 were as follows: Netherlands £470 millionPoland £250 millionGermany £80 millionIrish Republic £80 millionBelgium £50 million

Home Office

Immigrants: Detainees

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are as at 21 April 2020 detained in immigration detention centres.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the nationalities of people as at 21 April 2020 detained in immigration detention centres.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people detained in immigration detention centres are foreign national offenders as at 21 April 2020.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people detained in immigration detention centres have been held for longer than 28 days in the latest period for which figures are available.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many under 18 year olds are detained in immigration detention centres; and if she will publish a breakdown of the ages of people detained that are under 28 years old as at 21 April 2020.

Chris Philp: The Home Office publishes data on people in detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseData on the number of people detained under immigration powers, broken down by nationality, age, and length of detention are published in table Det_D02 of the immigration detention detailed datasets. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/returns-and-detention-datasets#immigration-detentionInformation on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2020. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the 'summary tables'. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.A statistical report Statistics relating to Covid-19 and the immigration system, May 2020, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-relating-to-covid-19-and-the-immigration-system-may-2020released on 28 May 2020 provides further high-level information relating to detention and Covid-19 up to the end of April.Figures covering the second quarter of 2020 will be released on 27 August 2020. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’. https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=release-date-oldest

Immigration Controls: Coronavirus

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government has provided to UK Border Force and Immigration Enforcement to manage arrivals in remote ports and at smaller airports during the covid-19 outbreak.

Chris Philp: Border Force is continuing to keep the UK’s border secure and has robust contingency plans in place to respond the covid-19 pandemic driven by the latest scientific and medical advice.We exercise a range of options at small and remote ports dependent on risk and continue to do so in line with public health and devolved administrations, without comprising security checks.Border Force are working closely with law enforcement partners on the response to threats at the border during the Covid outbreak, and that includes our response at smaller airports/ports

Internet: Safety

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timeframe is for the introduction of the Online Harms Bill.

James Brokenshire: The Government is committed to making the UK the safest place to be online. DCMS and the Home Office are working at pace to develop the legislation. We will publish a full government response later this year, and legislation will be ready this session.

Police: Social Distancing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the police on maintaining social distancing in public spaces.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Secretary holds regular meetings with policing partners about a range of issues linked to the response to Covid-19. This includes the measures in place to maintain social distancing in public places. We will continue to work closely with the police to ensure any changes to the Regulations or guidance are understood and enforced consistently, and that decisions regarding further restriction or relaxations take account of the impact on crime, policing and public order.

Visas: Married People

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the phrase If you have experienced a loss of income due to coronavirus, you will not be disadvantaged was removed from her Department's advice for spouse visa applicants and their sponsors published on 8-9 June 2020.

Kevin Foster: On 10 June we updated the GOV.UK pages with guidance on the minimum income requirement. An early draft of the guidance was incorrectly uploaded to GOV.UK, which was then quickly replaced with the correct version, thereby ensuring our guidance is as clear as possible on how a spouse or partner will not be disadvantaged from an immigration perspective from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Police

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers (a) at and (b) above the rank of inspector there were in each police force by (i) ethnicity and (ii) gender in (A) 2020 and (B) each of the last five years.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there were in each police force by (a) ethnicity and (b) gender in (i) 2020 and (ii) in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: This information is publicly available.

Metropolitan Police Service's Handling of Non-recent Sexual Offence Investigations Alleged Against Persons of Public Prominence Independent Review

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 2.4.137 of the report entitled, The Independent Review of the Metropolitan Police Service's handling of non-recent sexual offence investigations alleged against persons of public prominence, published on 4 October 2019, whether the police have plans to undertake an investigation of the two individuals referred to as potential witnesses A and B for perverting the course of justice and wasting police time; and if she will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The police are independent of Government, and it is an operational decision by forces whether to conduct investigations into alleged criminality.

Arrests: Death

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people in each ethnic group died following arrest in each of the last five years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people in each ethnic group died in police custody in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: This information is publicly available.

Visas: Applications

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to instruct UK Visas and Immigration to prioritise applications based on the scheduling of repatriation flights.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office and Foreign & Commonwealth Office work closely together to support British citizens and their dependants who are seeking to use repatriation flights. Some UK Visa Application Centres (VACs) are resuming services where local restrictions allow, and an effective service is being provided. Services will reopen in phases. For updates to the status of VACs, customers can check with: TLS contact if they are in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle EastVFS global for all other countries Anybody who has immigration queries related to coronavirus can email the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre. Email: CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk. Their email must be in English.

Hate Crime: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the increase in (a) xenophobia and (b) hate crimes reported in relation to the covid-19 outbreak.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office are working closely with the National Police Chief’s Council to ensure that all police forces are providing reassurance to affected communities and encouraging hate crime reporting during the pandemic. The Government are also working with civil society partners to understand whether there are issues of underreporting at this time.Government continues to work with communities around the country and the police to ensure people of all backgrounds have access to the latest information and are supported through this period.

Travel: Coronavirus

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many checks have been made by the police on people subject to a 14-day quarantine period after arriving in the UK.

Kit Malthouse: New measures introduced on 8 June require all passengers arriving in the UK, who do not fall under a specified exemption, to self-isolate for 14 days to reduce cases of COVID-19 being brought in from abroad and to help prevent a devastating second wave of the disease. An assurance service is contacting a random sample of non-exempted arrivals to check compliance. Where there is reason to suspect that an individual is not complying, details will be passed to the relevant police force who will consider enforcement action. Police will continue to take the 4 ‘E’s approach of engage, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce. Guidance on enforcement activity is issued by the College of Policing. Interpretation of that guidance and any subsequent action is an operational decision for the police. We have seen high levels of compliance with the rules to date, and expect that the majority of people will continue to do the right thing and abide by these measures.

Public Order Offences

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been cautioned or arrested by the police for urinating or defecating in a public place in each month of 2020.

Kit Malthouse: Information on the number of arrests urinating or defecating in a public place is not held centrally, as it is not a notifiable offence.

Immigration Controls: Coronavirus

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of (a) the effect of new covid-19 related checks on people arriving in the UK on the length of queues in (i) airports and (ii) seaports and (b) the effect of those queues on the risk of covid-19 contagion.

Kevin Foster: Border Force continue to monitor performance closely and this includes passenger queues.  Service level agreements are set to ensure 95% of arriving passengers clear passport control within 25 minutes for arrivals from the European Union and 45 minutes for the rest of the world. Passengers arriving in the UK continue to be cleared in line with these agreements. Border Force operations at ports are conducted in line with social distancing guidance as set out by the relevant Public Health bodies, although port operators are more widely responsible for compliance across their estate. Border Force staff in ports will be able to respond flexibly in the volume of checks conducted if there is a risk of congestion causing public health concerns. Border Force officers complete spot checks to ensure relevant biometric information matches that presented in the passport (or travel document) andother details appear to be credible.

Passengers: Public Health

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the ability of Border Force staff to verify information on completed public health passenger locator forms.

Kevin Foster: Border Force continue to monitor performance closely and this includes passenger queues.  Service level agreements are set to ensure 95% of arriving passengers clear passport control within 25 minutes for arrivals from the European Union and 45 minutes for the rest of the world. Passengers arriving in the UK continue to be cleared in line with these agreements. Border Force operations at ports are conducted in line with social distancing guidance as set out by the relevant Public Health bodies, although port operators are more widely responsible for compliance across their estate. Border Force staff in ports will be able to respond flexibly in the volume of checks conducted if there is a risk of congestion causing public health concerns. Border Force officers complete spot checks to ensure relevant biometric information matches that presented in the passport (or travel document) andother details appear to be credible.

British National (Overseas): Employment

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether British national (overseas) status holders and their dependants will be (a) able to apply for work only in shortage occupations and (b) subject to (i) minimum salary requirements and (ii) other restrictions on their ability to apply for work in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The UK will continue to defend the rights & freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. Should China push ahead and impose national security legislation on Hong Kong then we will provide a generous offer to BN(O)s of a bespoke immigration route providing unrestricted access to work and study with a pathway to apply for citizenship. We are working closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and domestic departments on the offer to British Nationals (Overseas) and will set out more detail in due course.

Cabinet Office

Migrant Workers: Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many migrants without settled status or indefinite leave to remain in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency earn less than £25,600 annually.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 66.23 KB)

Ethnic Groups: Equality

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Racial Disparity Unit has taken to reduce racial disparities at local government level; and what assessment he has made of the effect on analysis by that Unit of including regional data categories.

Chloe Smith: The Unit engages local authorities to support their work to use data to identify and act on areas of local challenge. It is working to improve local authority data it holds to give an overview on the experiences and outcomes of different ethnic groups, and to support delivery of the levelling-up agenda.

Schengen Agreement

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Schengen 90/180 rule is subject for negotiation with the EU.

Penny Mordaunt: We welcome the EU’s confirmation that it will grant UK nationals visa-free access for short-term visits, subject to reciprocity. This means that, after the end of the transition period, UK business visitors and tourists will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in every 180-day period.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Officer, what the timeframe is for the establishment of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon. members to the answer given to PQ 40706 on 4 May 2020.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of (a) the responsibilities of Ministers in his Department and (b) senior officials of grade SCS2 and above that work on each of the policy areas in that Department and its associated bodies.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 43737 on 11 May 2020. The Cabinet Office senior officials organogram will be published in due course.

Blood: Contamination

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to provide the Welsh Government with additional funding to increase ex gratia payments distributed through the Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will allocate funding to ensure that widows and widowers in the four nations of the UK are included in Infected Blood ex gratia support schemes until the Infected Blood inquiry reports in 2022.

Penny Mordaunt: In 2017, country-specific support schemes were set up in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. These schemes are devolved, and the devolved administrations will have made different choices around their offers of support over time.We are currently working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments on taking forward actions to address the disparities in financial and non-financial support for those infected and affected across the UK, including bereaved partners.The report's timetable is a matter for the Chair, Sir Brian Langstaff. Sir Brian has publicly recognised the need to balance between speed and the need for thoroughness, and has made clear that the Inquiry will complete its work as quickly as a thorough examination of the facts allows.

Marriage: Coronavirus

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2020 to Question 55054, what indicators his Department plans to use to determine whether to lift covid-19 lockdown restrictions on marriages.

Penny Mordaunt: As set out in ‘Our Plan to Rebuild’, any adjustments to current social distancing controls for England will be timed carefully according to both the current transmission rate of the virus and the Government’s ability to ensure safety. The steps for modifying social distancing measures are set out in the plan, with strict conditions to safely move from each step to the next.In the strategy, we committed to exploring how to enable people to gather in slightly larger groups to better facilitate small weddings. We are actively looking at how we can facilitate small weddings, as soon as possible, to deliver the roadmap.Step Three of the plan also includes the ambition to open at least some places of worship, including the potential for some small wedding ceremonies. The Government’s current planning assumption is that this step will be no earlier than 4 July, subject to the five tests for easing measures and further detailed scientific advice provided closer to the time, on how far we can go.

Department for International Trade

Coronavirus: USA

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on ensuring that the NHS is able to access (a) a vaccine and (b) treatments for covid-19 at a fair cost in the event that such a vaccine or treatments are developed in the US.

Greg Hands: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has regular conversations with counterparts from the United States of America, on a wide range of trade-related matters, including the response to COVID-19. To date, the Secretary of State has not had any conversations with her counterparts on vaccines. Work is currently underway to support development of global vaccine candidates, and therapeutics, being led by the Vaccines and Therapeutics Taskforces respectively. This is informing how to engage with US-based developers and will inform my Department’s engagement plans.

Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment has UK Export Finance made of the (a) financial, (b) environmental, (c) social and (d) governance risks in relation to investment in the Mozambique LNG Project in 2020.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment UK Export Finance has made of the level of (a) CO2 and (b) methane emissions in relation to the (i) transporting of gas, (ii) burning of gas and (c) other activities of the Mozambique LNG Project; and what assessment UK Export Finance has made of the effect of those emissions on the environment in that country.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that UK Export Finance support for the Mozambique LNG Project does not further exacerbate the Islamic insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique.

Graham Stuart: The Mozambique LNG Project is still under consideration, and we cannot comment on potential transactions for reasons of commercial confidentiality. UK Export Finance (UKEF) carries out due diligence on all relevant aspects of a project before coming to a decision on whether to provide support. The Government has already published a Category A notice which includes a link to an Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment of the Mozambique LNG project and related information. The Category A notice is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/category-a-project-under-consideration-mozambique-lng-project/category-a-project-under-consideration-mozambique-lng-project UKEF has a specialist Environmental, Social and Human Rights (ESHR) team that reviews relevant projects prior to UKEF taking a decision on support.

Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether UK Export Finance plans to be part of the US investment in the Category A Mozambique LNG project in June 2020.

Graham Stuart: The Mozambique LNG Project is still under consideration, and we cannot comment about potential transactions for reasons of commercial confidentiality. UK Export Finance support to any project is tied to eligible UK supplies and would always be completely separate from any support through other nations’ export credit agencies.

*No heading*

Dave Doogan: What recent progress she has made on negotiating free trade agreements with (a) the US and (b) Japan.

Greg Hands: We have launched negotiations with both the US and Japan and we want to secure ambitious trade deals that benefit every part of the UK. Scotland is expected to be a particularly strong beneficiary from both deals.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Radio: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what emergency funding his Department is making available to community radio stations throughout the UK to help prevent their closure as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Community Radio Fund was set up in 2005 and has an annual budget of £400,000, which is used to help support community radio stations across the UK. It is administered by Ofcom, and applications are assessed by an independent panel. For the financial year 2020-21, we have worked with Ofcom to use this Fund to provide emergency cash grants to help community radio stations to meet urgent liabilities and to keep themselves in business. Ofcom announced details of 81 awards on 4 June - allocating a significant proportion of the Fund’s budget for the year - and will be inviting applications for a further emergency funding round shortly to ensure that the full amount goes to those stations most in need of support at this time. We are continuing to liaise with stakeholders across the sector regarding ways in which the Government can support community radio through Covid-19 and beyond.

Public Statues: Slavery

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many statues of former slave owners have been removed by local authorities in each of the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: This information is not held by my Department.

Further Education: Public Statues

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) universities and (b) colleges on the display of statues of former slave trade owners; and if he will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: No such guidance has been issued. Historic England, as the Government’s adviser on the historic environment have set out their position on contested heritage. This highlights how removing difficult and contentious parts of the historic environment can risk harming our understanding of our collective past. Historic England recommends the use of clear, long-lasting and innovative reinterpretation to reflect historical objects’ changed context and contemporary understanding of them. They and other heritage funding bodies invest significantly in improving public access to historical objects, providing contemporary interpretation of them and supporting diverse heritage projects around the country.

Public Statues: Greater London

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his consent is required  under the Public Statues Act (Metropolis) 1854 before the removal of sculptures erected in London.

Nigel Huddleston: There is no requirement under the terms of the Public Statues (Metropolis) Act 1854 to obtain the consent of the Secretary of State before the removal of sculptures erected in London.

Email: Fraud

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to improve awareness of the Suspicious Email Reporting Service among the public and businesses in East Renfrewshire constituency.

Matt Warman: The Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) was launched on 21 April as part of the government’s Cyber Aware campaign. This is a UK-wide campaign promoted through paid activity, press and stakeholder engagement. The campaign materials were shared with Scottish Government and other Scottish public sector organisations, including Education Scotland, Scottish Business Resilience Centre and Trading Standards Scotland. We have also worked closely with Police Scotland. All have played an essential role in helping to amplify the SERS in local communities.The SERS was promoted on social media and through paid search, both of which were targeted at audiences in Scotland. Results show specific engagement within East Renfrewshire. We plan to run the campaign for the remainder of this financial year with sustained engagement and paid activity in Scotland.

Cybercrime: East Renfrewshire

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to improve awareness of the Cyber Essentials scheme among the public and businesses in East Renfrewshire constituency.

Matt Warman: As part of the National Cyber Security Strategy, the Government is helping organisations across the economy and society improve their digital security. We are promoting the uptake of the Cyber Essentials (CE) scheme, which is targeted at businesses and organisations, in a number of ways, including through the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) extensive engagements with industry sectors and via police regional organised crime units, which engage with businesses locally. The Government’s Cyber Aware campaign helps the public and small businesses take up secure online behaviours, including signposting businesses towards Cyber Essentials and other guidance and support. Up to the end of April 2020, 44,443 Cyber Essentials certificates have now been awarded to organisations, including 5,534 since the start of 2020.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support he will provide to full fibre broadband operators to encourage urban deployment over the next 12 months.

Matt Warman: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible. We believe that the best way to do this is to promote network competition and commercial investment wherever possible, and to intervene with public subsidy where necessary. The Government is taking action to support broadband operators in all areas of the country, including urban areas, through the removal of barriers to deployment including, for example, the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill, which will make it easier to connect multi-dwelling buildings where there is a repeatedly unresponsive landowner. We will also legislate to mandate gigabit connectivity in new build homes in England and are working with local highways authorities on a more collaborative and standardised approach to Street Works.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he last met with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss Official Development Assistance spending.

Mr John Whittingdale: I have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on the full range of our international activity, including through Official Development Assistance (ODA). My Department supports international development through excellent ODA projects such as our Cultural Protection Fund and the International Tech Hubs programme. I welcome the creation of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and will continue to work closely with Ministerial colleagues to promote the UK's interests around the world.

Charities: Coronavirus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the level of support required by BAME charities working to support people in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency who are being disproportionately affected by covid-19.

Mr John Whittingdale: BAME charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises play a vital role in supporting communities throughout the country. Their work has become even more critical in the response to this unprecedented crisis. Government recognises that organisations require extra support in order to continue their vital work while experiencing significant pressures due to Covid-19, through either, or both, a loss of income and increasing demand for services increases. This is why the government has made an unprecedented £750 million package of support available, specifically for charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The Coronavirus Community Support Fund (CCSF) forms a central part of this package, and is being administered through the National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF). £200 million has now been made available for TNLCF to distribute and they are engaging extensively with BAME organisations to improve the reach of the Fund. A diverse advisory panel has been set up to assist in the distribution process for the Fund. DCMS will continue to work closely to assess how we can support BAME charities and social enterprises in doing their important work. The Minister for Civil Society holds a fortnightly roundtable to hear directly from BAME civil society organisations to highlight concerns and responses to Covid-19. DCMS will continue to work closely to assess how we can support BAME charities and social enterprises in doing their important work.

Orchestras: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on classical orchestras; and what support his Department is providing to those orchestras during the outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: In order to support the sustainability of the Arts sector, including classical orchestras, DCMS has worked closely with Arts Council England (ACE) to provide a tailored package of financial support. In March, ACE announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and to ensure immediate resilience of this vital sector. This package includes £140 million of support for artistic organisations including orchestras; and £20 million of financial support for individuals, including self-employed classical musicians, so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months. More than 9000 individuals and organisations have been successful in applying for this emergency funding. Furthermore, self-employed classical musicians are among the millions of people (including freelancers) who can now benefit from the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, which will provide those eligible with cash grants worth up to £2,500 per month. We expect that the Self-Employed Income Support scheme will cover 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment. The Secretary of State, myself and officials continue to consult the Art sector extensively to ensure we fully understand the financial impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the sector. On the basis of that engagement, DCMS and ACE are continuing to work closely to consider the additional measures that are needed to ensure the long-term recovery and growth of the cultural sector, including orchestras and classical musicians.

Charities and Voluntary Organisations: Coronavirus

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak  on charities and voluntary organisations working with and for disabled people.

Mr John Whittingdale: Charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises across the country undertake incredibly important work with and for disabled people. This work has become even more critical during this unprecedented crisis. Many organisations, including those working with and for disabled people, are experiencing significant pressures due to Covid-19, through either, or both, a loss of income and increasing demand for services increases. This is why the government has made an unprecedented £750 million package of support available, specifically for charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The £200m Coronavirus Community Support Fund (CCSF) forms a central part of this package, and is being distributed to organisations through the National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF). Organisations, including those who work with and for disabled people, should visit the TNLCF website to learn more about how to submit an application (www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk). Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced a £6 million fund to support charities working with people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs.

Women and Equalities

Gay Conversion Therapy

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the Government's timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to end the practice of conversion therapy for members of the LGBT community.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government takes this issue very seriously and fundamentally disagrees with attempts to forcibly change someone’s sexuality.In order to end conversion therapy practice for good, we are thoroughly considering all legislative and non-legislative options. As my honourable friend will know, there are certain abhorrent and violent practices which may be classed as conversion therapy, which are already covered by existing criminal offences. Where such practices are already unlawful, we will ensure the law is clear, well understood and enforced. Where dangerous conversion therapy practices are not already unlawful, we are examining the best ways to prevent them being conducted, without sending such practices underground.We have also commissioned research that looks at the scope of practices and experiences of those subjected to conversion therapy. Once the findings have been reviewed, we will continue engaging other key stakeholders, and ensure we quickly progress an effective approach.My officials are working at pace on the matter, and we will outline plans to end its practice in due course.

LGBT People

Gill Furniss: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to publish the LGBT Action Plan: Annual progress report for 2019-2020.

Kemi Badenoch: Due to the response to the COVID-19 outbreak our work in this area has been delayed. The Government will provide an update and next steps in due course.